The World Unraveled
by lijdgreat916
Summary: AU: Nineteen years after Second impact, Shinji Rokubungi finds himself in the 20th Ward of Tokyo-3 at the command of his father... or so the evidence says. But after a particularly violent night, he soon finds himself with a whole new host of questions. Who are the Angels? Just what is Nerv? And why can't he stop these strange bouts of monstrous hunger?
1. Prologue

_**An:** So. This is the first serious story I've worked on in a while, so my apologies if the tone isn't too consistent throughout. When I first thought up this concept, it was right after I binge-watched Tokyo Ghoul. After witnessing the epic awesomesauce that was episode 12 of season one (uncensored, too), my eyes happened to fall upon my Blu-ray copy of Eva 2.0. As soon as I realized you could have Shinji and a pre-tortured Kaneki switch places and literally no one would notice... well, let's just say things kind of just snowballed from there. So here's a little prologue so you can see the tone I was going for_

_With that said, read and enjoy. If you'd be so kind, please leave a review as well, telling me what you thought about the chapter and any improvements I could make. And while we're at it, let's just admit something: Root A's OP ain't got sh*t on Unravel. I don't care if it's "symbolic", or if Pierrot was going for something intentionally discordant, but they done goofed._

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**The World Unraveled**

**0 - [ Prologue ] - 0**

* * *

It was dark. Pitch black, almost comparable to looking into a void, if one were to be specific. Normally, a parking garage wouldn't be so cloaked in shadows. Yet for whatever reason, there were no lights, and even more puzzling, there was a complete absence of cars. An ominous air seemed to run throughout the garage, giving off a sense of dread and foreboding. Most people would avoid the place, with it's darkened surroundings and numerous places for hiding.

It was worth saying that Kaworu Nagisa was not a normal person. More accurately, he wasn't even a human, though he definitely looked the part.

He possessed what some would call delicate features, yet there was an undeniable sharpness to his face that prevented him from being called a beauty. He had unnaturally white hair, and a pair of crimson eyes that seemed to complement him despite their odd coloration. A dark grey peacoat fit snugly against him, along with black pants and pale white sneakers. There was an air of something... inviting, almost warm, about him.

So it was a wonder what someone like him was doing here.

It was while he moved through the oppressive darkness that the sound of something being violently torn apart made itself known. There was a pause. Another ripping echo, and something resembling a moan. As he listened to the ominous sounds, the being known as Kaworu Nagisa couldn't help but let out a sigh. _It would seem,_ he grimly thought, _that someone is having a bit too much fun_. He went up the flight of stairs leading to the fifth floor, his shoes clicking against the cold stone, and let out yet another sigh at what he saw as soon as he turned right, with a bit more exasperation.

"Sachiel," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else, "what is this?"

Calling the scene before him _grisly_ would be a massive understatement. The stone was painted with blood. And organs. And the occasional stray arm. The blood itself was still creeping downhill inch by inch, and Kaworu took a step back so his shoes wouldn't be stained. He made a face of disgust, which grew even more disgusted as he saw the pile of broken bodies over by the northern corner. Grown men, women, children; it seemed as though the typical nuclear family had been rag dolled into a bloody mess. A grotesque sight, to be sure, but the impact the view held over Kaworu was... minimal, to say the least.

It wasn't like he cared when people played with their food. Usually.

Suddenly, the pile of bodies started to move, and then a disembodied hand was thrown off of the pile. More rustling, and then a man - was it a man? Or perhaps something monstrous - still possessed of all his limbs, emerged out of the corpses like a twisted version of childbirth. The figure stumbled a bit, and let out a small, bone-chilling kind of chuckle.

There was silence.

Then Kaworu checked his watch and wondered when the man would acknowledge his presence. Just to make sure his arrival hadn't gone completely unnoticed, he let out a small cough.

Evidently that did the trick, as the figure took a second to readjust himself before addressing Kaworu. A moment of comprehension dawned on the man before he finally found his voice. "Ah, Tabris," the man spoke, tone devoid of emotion, muffled by the porcelain bird-mask he donned over where his face would have been. Standing at over eight feet, he wore what seemed like a burlap cloak, and the tiny echoes of blood dripping on the pavement made his appearance even more menacing. He raised his muscular, scarred arm and scratched the back of his head, blood droplets flicking out of his hair with every slight movement. "My apologies, I didn't hear you arrive."

Kaworu idly kicked a stray liver next to his feet, scowling at the red stain he found on the edge of his white shoes. _Then again, I'm meeting Sachiel. Wearing_ anything _white is an exercise in futility_. It was then that he seriously regarded the corpse-pile Sachiel had emerged from. "You brought food? To our meeting?" _And had the nerve to **play** in it?_

"Its been a while since I last ate." As a response to his words, Sachiel reached back behind himself. There was a ripping sound, and he turned around to face Kaworu with a couple of boneless fingers in his hands. "Also, discussing business is less boring when you have something to snack on." He lifted his mask so that his mouth was uncovered, and nonchalantly popped one of the digits into his mouth._ Crunch. Crunch_. Chewing on his meal, Sachiel looked back to Kaworu. "Want some?"

Kaworu shook his head, refusing Sachiel's gracious offer. "No thank you."

Shrugging his shoulders, the monster in human form continued with his meal.

The teen rolled his eyes and scoffed at the man's seemingly carefree attitude. Sachiel lacked the discretion that the rest of their kind possessed regarding sustenance, a fact that irked Kaworu to no end. It made what he had to tell the man all the more... vindictive. He started to crack his fingers, a tad bit excited at what he was going to have to tell the man. Of course, he was careful not to let any of his excitement show on his face. "That's... actually something I wanted to talk about. Zeruel wanted me to relay a message to you." Which was completely untrue.

Sachiel paused, looking a bit comical with the bottom end of a thumb between his teeth. "Hmm?"

"Your eating habits," Kaworu began. "This... binge-eating of yours. It needs to stop. You're starting to draw attention."

"Really?" The cloaked man seemed to ponder on Kaworu's words, before turning around and heading back towards the corpses. He grasped at the head of one of the men, set his leg against the body's shoulders, and _pulled_. To be honest, Kaworu started to feel the slight pangs of hunger as he watched Sachiel toy with the tendons hanging out of the corpse's head, right before the man popped the meat into his mouth like candy. "... Nerv?"

So, they were going to play that game? Kaworu inwardly smiled. "No. The local police force. But it won't be long until they call in the briefcases."

"I don't understand. Isn't that what we wanted?"

_This is just too easy_. "Well, not this soon." Kaworu leaned back and made himself comfortable against a nearby stone pillar. "We were supposed to wait until Ikari made the first move."

It was a testament to Sachiel's understanding of the seriousness of the situation when he stopped playing with the decapitated head and tossed it back into the pile. "I see." There was a long moment of silence, one that Kaworu found himself unexpectedly enjoying. When Sachiel finally resumed speaking, it was with a grovelled tone that had previously been absent. "How long should I lay low for?"

"It's too late for that." And indeed, it was. "You got yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out." Out of his coat, Kaworu withdrew a beige folder and casually flung it towards his companion who deftly caught it between his fingers. "Ireul has managed to obtain information about the illusive Third." Also untrue, but it wasn't like Sachiel would confirm any of the information being given to him. The man was definitely the sort who had a hard time thinking for himself, and he wouldn't suspect anything until it was too late. Reaching into his pocket, Kaworu revealed a cell phone, a picture of a fellow teenager displayed on it's screen. "Evidently, he's arriving tomorrow."

"How delightful. So... you want me to handle him, is that it?" Sachiel scoffed, disdain evident in his very words. And he had every reason to be - it was very clear as to where the conversation was headed. "I barely survived the First. What you're asking of me is a death sentence."

_Maybe that's the plan, oh brother of mine_. Still, it wouldn't do to throw Sachiel to the dogs just yet. At the end of the day, he was, after all, blood. Sacrificial pawn he may be, but not even pawns deserved to die without hope.

"The Third has yet to be inoculated."

At this information, Sachiel's demeanor changed from aggravated to curious. "There's... no way that's true."

_Gotcha_. "Really now?"

"Yes, really," Sachiel growled out. "We all know that Ikari is some kind of genius when it comes to forethought. It's not like he's just going to leave a potential weapon like that alone." A pause. "It's a trap. It has to be." Sachiel glared accordingly at the white-haired teen.

Kaworu, for his part, just kept smiling. He had Sachiel right where he wanted him. "My my, Sachiel - so paranoid. Are you saying you doubt the validity of Iruel's information? It's not like he's ever let us down before." He was starting to get hungry. Maybe he'd pick up a snack on the way home. There was a bar some ways back that catered to a younger crowd; he was sure to find something ripe there. He certainly wasn't going to ask Sachiel for a piece of his pile. "I fail to see why you're so hesitant. For all intents and purposes, he is a mere Lilim." And now, the straw that breaks the camel's back. "Surely you're not _afraid_, are you?"

There was still a trace amount of hesitation when the cloaked man spoke again, yet there was no denying his conviction. "... very well. Consider it done."

The white-haired teen let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "I'll relay the news to Zeruel, then." He wouldn't. Zeruel couldn't know about any of this. Intentions of fratricide notwithstanding, Kaworu knew that the leader of their group wouldn't take it too kindly to know that one of it's members was sending another to his death. Taking one last glance at Sachiel's bloody handiwork, the teen made his way back down the flight of stairs. "Make his death quick then," he said as an afterthought.

If Kaworu would have bothered to turn around as he descended, he would have laughed at the confusion evident on Sachiel's face. "But... I thought the point of me killing this kid was to send a message."

"Well. No matter how you look at it, we _are_ killing one of Father's children. At least, you are. Bastard or not, it's the least we can do for a sibling."

* * *

**First Chapter Preview**

* * *

"Does the name Ikari mean anything to you?"

"Be vigilant, Rokubungi-san."

"It's been a while, Special Investigator Katsuragi."

"He'll pull through. He is Gendo's son, after all."

**1 - [ Indulgence ] - 1**


	2. Indulgence

**AN: **_So, here's__ the official first chapter! I put my heart, soul, and substances of varying legality into this one! To be honest, I was gonna have this and the prologue combined into a single chapter, but the pacing just didn't feel right to me. Hopefully the final version is to your liking. Read, review, tell your friends about it, and support the release of an official Stardust Crusaders dub! ... that last one wasn't related to the fic, but I figured I might as well throw it in there. Because I really, really, REALLY want to hear Leon Kennedy yell 'ora ora ora' as he beats the crap out of everyone and have Batou yell HORRI SHET every episode. Read that last sentence one more time, and tell me you don't wanna see that._

_Also, there are a few action scenes in this one. I'd appreciate it if you guys could tell me how I did on it, what I did good, and how I can improve. I'm not to good with sequences like that and any feedback would be awesome. Thanks, and enjoy the show._

* * *

**The World Unraveled**

**1 - [ Indulgence ] - 1**

* * *

_"... seventh day protocols are now in effect..."_

_"... synchronization reaching 400%..."_

_"... Marduk has identified him as the..."_

_"... he'll never make a suitable candidate for..."_

_"... will show promise if we take the other..."_

* * *

"Kid, are you alright?"

He woke up slowly, just barely managing to drag himself into the realm of consciousness. He opened his eyes, only to shut them tight. The lights were too bright, too piercing for his adjusting vision.

"It's the end of the line, son. Hope you didn't miss your stop while you were dozing off."

As his eyes finally adjusted to the harsh white lights, Shinji groaned. His head felt like it was about to explode, and his limbs must have weighed five times what they should have been. It had been an eight hour trip from his remote village to Tokyo-3, and the ride over had been... grueling, to say the least. He cracked his back as he stood up and stifled a yawn, addressing the man who had woken him up. "No, I needed to be here." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for waking me up."

The man, who appeared to be the train's conductor, waved his thanks off. "No problem. Be careful, though. This neighborhood isn't too safe at night."

Slipping his backpack around his shoulders and gripping the handle of his luggage case, Shinji made his way off the train. "It's alright," he assured the conductor, "I've got someone picking me up."

Stepping off of the train and onto the platform, Shinji let out a sigh into the chilly night air, where his exhaled breath promptly froze into a cloud of white. He checked his wristwatch and found that it was almost 1 in the morning, which would explain the lack of people. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jacket and sat down at one of the numerous benches placed through out the station.

And he waited.

In the darkness of the city, Shinji Rokubungi waited for someone to pick him up.

If one were to ask Shinji exactly as to _why_ he was waiting, it was very likely the boy would tell you he didn't really have an answer.

Unlike most teenage boys who were raised in the Japanese countryside, Shinji never really felt the need to get out into the world. He was brought up by his teacher - a man who wasn't his biological father, yet wasn't quite his Guardian either. Left to his own devices for the most part, Shinji did, what he thought, what was typical for somebody his age. He attended school (near perfect marks on all subjects), participated in clubs (Orchestra and tennis), hung out with his friends (though they were more accurately described as acquaintances), and worked part-time (as the attendant of a gas station). It was in this way that Shinji spent his time.

He wasn't happy, but it wasn't like he was _un_happy, it was more like he was... well, maybe _content_ was too strong of a word.

It was only after graduating high school and finally turning eighteen that a disturbing thought occurred - he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Sure, he was going to attend college; where exactly he wasn't too sure, but with his grades it wouldn't be too hard to go wherever he wanted. The real question was what he was going to do once he got there. Apart from playing the cello, which was more of a way to pass time then anything else, Shinji had absolutely no interests. At all. Fortunately, the answer he had been seeking found him. Or blindsided him. It depended on how you looked at the situation.

He recalled it easily enough. It had been the end of a particularly normal day when the letter arrived.

A scholarship. He had been offered a_ scholarship_.

And that wasn't even the best part. The scholarship in question allowed him to attend Tokyo-3 University, the most prestigious educational institute in the country. And honestly? Shinji... didn't really know how to feel about it. His confusion grew when he found out that, of all things, a _company_ was sponsoring him, the company in question being a private military contractor with strong ties to the UN.

Nerv.

Like all things Shinji was unfamiliar with in the world, he had looked to his teacher for answers. Though the man offered little more information than could be found by a cursory scan of the internet, Shinji found himself intrigued. According to his teacher, Nerv was a security offshoot of GEHIRN, a company specializing in chemical synthesis and artificial evolution. It was privately funded, which meant that it got more work done than it's government counterparts. While it wasn't known as to what GEHIRN's scientific objective was, what the public did know was that When Second Impact hit, global infrastructures were suddenly rearranged, and it was primarily thanks to Nerv, and not the JSSDF, that Japan came out with such high standing as it was.

Coincidentally, Nerv HQ was located in Tokyo-3.

Understandably, Shinji was a tad bit mystified as to what a conglomerate giant like Nerv would want with him. After all, he was sure he didn't have anything of value to offer - he wasn't so athletically inclined for anyone to take notice, nor was he scientifically endowed. All in all, he was starting to think that the letter was someone's idea of a joke when his teacher told him a piece of information that he probably should have started the conversation with.

_"Your father was a high-ranking officer in Nerv."_

Needless to say, he was shocked into action at that.

Long story short, he was intrigued to say the least. His father, whom Shinji had presumed dead for the longest of time, worked for Nerv at a high level. Nerv was offering him a scholarship. Ergo, his father was _giving_ him a scholarship. While Shinji wasn't too inclined with the idea of nepotism, he couldn't say he wasn't curious. Supposing he did accept Nerv's offer. Would his father try to contact him? Would he actually get to meet his father for the first time in fourteen years? It was then that he realized he didn't care if he was grasping at straws. He needed to know why his father abandoned him. And so it was that Shinji packed what little possessions he held dear and departed for Tokyo-3.

_Dad. I haven't seen you in... well, I can't even remember what you look like_. He idly toyed with the buttons of his S-DAT, tucked inside his front pocket. _This is all I ever had from you. You gave this to me on the day... on the day you gave me to Teacher._

_On my fourth birthday_.

Shinji shook his head. He didn't need to be thinking such depressing thoughts.

It was quiet on the platform. While he waited, he listened to the melodious tunes of Beethoven, followed by the swift piano notes of Tchaikovsky. Despite this, the emptiness of the city - which was supposed to be the largest and busiest in the country - was starting to affect him. It was almost as if the place were abandoned overnight. The streetlights still cast their glow on the sidewalks, and somewhere Shinji thought he heard the faint echoes of some pop song. If it weren't for the occasional parked car and the lit window adorning the giant skyscrapers, then it wouldn't have been wrong to assume the city was vacant. It was unnatural; though he had been raided in a more rural area, even his remote village saw more nighttime activity than Tokyo-3.

He briefly considered leaving the platform and searching for someone before brushing the thought away. It wouldn't be long until his transport arrived. While he was hashing out the details of his stay at Tokyo-3 University with a Nerv representative (whom he noticed hadn't bothered to give his name or actual rank), he had been assured that there would be someone to pick him up. Granted, it had been almost an hour since the soon-to-be college student arrived, but Shinji was nothing if not patient. _But,_ he thought to himself,_ if it takes another hour I'll probably just find a hotel_.

A loud sigh escaped Shinji as he pondered his situation. To be honest, the entire set up seemed too good to be true. Maybe he wouldn't have been so skeptical if the one providing his scholarship wasn't a PMC. It just boggled the mind. And furthermore, why had they insisted that he time his arrival so late at night? Didn't they know that ghouls roamed the streets at this hour? That thought in particular made Shinji stop and think. _Statistically, there is one ghoul for every 375 humans per residential area. So then, if Tokyo-3 housed the largest population in the country, logically it would also house a large number of ghouls. However, that would mean in turn that the Commission of Counter Ghoul would have a stronger base of operations directly proportionate to the size of said population, based on the assumption that there were, in fact, wolfs among the sheep. Which leads to the conclusion that the bigger the presence of CCG, the more the ghoul population is culled. But then, if the ghouls in question were to be eradicated, the CCG would assume their presence was no longer needed and divert their manpower elsewhere. Which would result in ghouls moving back into the city, starting the process all over again. The entire process would be easier thought of as a two-stage transitional period - the 'extermination' stage, when the CCG battle the ghouls, and the 'infestation' stage, whereupon the city must do with lesser protection while the ghouls re-infiltrate society_. The teen started to rub his chin in thought, completely immersed in the problem. _However, my question should be 'what stage is the city at now?' Because, I should stay right where I am if it's at 'infestation'. On the other hand, if we're in the 'extermination' phase, I could really use a drink right now. I wonder if there's a convenience store nearby_-

"You're here."

The words were spoken so abruptly that Shinji found himself startled out of his inner ramblings.

There was a girl. Standing three feet away from him, and staring intently into his eyes.

... just how had he not noticed her there? And furthurmore... there was something about this girl that just felt _wrong_. And what frustrated Shinji was that he couldn't quite figure out what exactly it was about her presence that bothered him. he just stood there like a statue, content with watching the shifting emotions that were playing on his face. Maybe it was the unnaturally pale blue hair that unsettled him. Or the red eyes. It was probably the eyes, the ones that looked so much like they belonged on the face of a ghoul. But, the sclera was white, so that guess was out. Also... she was pretty. He wasn't sure why that particular fact mattered, though he filed the thought away nonetheless.

And what was with that feeling of familiarity he got from her?

An awkward moment passed between the boy and the girl who looked at him with such intensity. "You're here," she repeated in a robotic monotone that reaffirmed Shinji's belief about the girl's demeanor somehow being off.

Still, he was nothing if not polite, so he brushed away his uneasy feelings and offered an easygoing smile. "Um... yeah, I guess I am." When the girl offered nothing further to say, he continued on. "So..." The girl was still staring at him, as though he might disappear at any moment, "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"... did we not just now?"

To be honest, Shinji wasn't certain whether the girl was being serious or not. Was she one of those people who took everything literally? Or was she just being sarcastic? Though judging by the blank look on her face, he found himself believing more in the former possibility. "No, that's not what-" As he was about to address this girls seemingly innocent question, something caught his attention. Specifically, what she was wearing. "I'm sorry, but is that cosplay?"

She appeared to be wearing what amounted to a backless skin tight diver suit. It was pitch black in color, with red and dark grey highlights on the sides and shoulders, and an ominous crimson circle sat atop the center of her chest. There was also, and Shinji wasn't sure if this was a trick of the light or his own exhaustion setting in, bits and pieces of what looked like metallic armor scattered about here and there. The girl, for all intents and purposes, looked like your average cosplayer, albeit with an extremely detailed costume. Though, Shinji couldn't for the life of him remember what show the costume was from - he didn't watch anime as much as he would've liked to.

Another awkward silence, and then: "You are the Third, aren't you?" Followed by the girl fidgeting in place, as though she had asked a particularly embarrassing question.

"... the third what?" Was this girl trying to be purposefully vague? It occurred to Shinji that the girl wasn't entirely right in the head, after all, it wasn't too uncommon even back in his village to find someone unhinged by the events of Second Impact. Though, those people in question were usually around the age of thirty, so maybe this girl was just simply... odd? Whatever the case, he hoped that not everyone in the city acted like she did. "Look, I'm kind of new to this city," he began slowly, "so if you could..."

"Does the name Ikari mean anything to you?"

Again with the vague questions. "Sorry, I don't know anyone by the name of Ikari..."

"So that's how it is." She spoke with an air of finality, as if he had just confirmed something important. She folded her arms against her chest and closed her eyes in contemplation. Just as Shinji was about to ask if she was alright, the black-clad girl gave him a curt bow. "My name is Ayanami Rei."

Despite the surreal quality of the conversation, the soon-to-be college student found himself returning an introduction. "Uh, Rokubungi Shinji." He wasn't sure where to go from there, as the girl - Rei - was giving him an expectant look. "It's... nice to meet you.

They stood there like that for what seemed like hours, but in reality couldn't have been more than a minute.

A sudden chill breeze blew throughout the platform, and Shinji found himself rubbing the palms of his hands together. To both his dismay and curiosity, Rei kept on in her unnerving staring. It was then that an odd thought occurred to the teen. "Hey, I know this is a weird question, but... aren't you cold in that?" He wasn't sure what type of materials her costume was made of, but there was no way it could possibly hold heat that well. Especially since it seemed so, well,_ skin tight_. "It's pretty cold out tonight. You might wanna head inside or something, otherwise you'll catch a-"

Whatever else Shinji might have said was interrupted by Rei in a tone of the utmost seriousness. "Be vigilant, Rokubungi-san. If you are caught unawares, you may not survive this night."

"H-hey, just what's that supposed-"

Before he was able to report back, there was an itch at the back of Shinji's throat. It was a primal sort of feeling, one that prevented him from speaking his words. He... couldn't speak? He looked at Rei, who stood perfectly still, hoping that she might know what was happening despite him having just met her.

Then there was pain.

"AAAAAGH!" He collapsed to his knees and started to claw at his throat, as if he could rip out the pain from his body. It was pure agony. And from his throat, it started to spread. Outwards, to the back of his head, his chest, his stomach, his kidneys. Everywhere there was pain, and it was akin to his insides being set on fire. His vision started to go back, and with hands that wanted nothing more to clench into fists, he grabbed for his luggage. It was open in an instant, and with a speed only madmen possessed, he dumped the contents onto the concrete of the platform, rifling through the pile. _Where did I put it?!_ Finally, he located the object: a small ovular box colored bright orange, with the label reading Periasysdopamine.

RC Cell suppresants.

He fiddled with the cap until with a pop, it flew in the opposite direction. He hastily chose four of the dark red pilles before slamming them in his mouth and swallowing hard. The effect was instant:his vision cleared, the pain became a throbbing sensation, then an irritating feeling, and eventually it disappeared altogether.

As he sat there on the platform, breathing hard in exhaustion, he idly noted that Rei was nowhere to be seen.

_Not surprising,_ he grimly thought,_ usual reaction, actually._

Langely's Disease. When a human is born with an abnormal amount of Red Child Cells in their body. There was a high mortality rate amongst the unlucky few who had it. The 'episodes' that happened every so often ranged from a small prickling sensation in the back of the neck to full blown seizures. Similar in nature to the immune system (ironically enough), the RC Cells would attack the normal cells in a fit of territorial aggresion, essentially eating the human body from the inside out. And due to the almost supernatural defensive nature of RC Cells, they were impossible to eliminate, though they could be suppressed. Shinji had had to deal with his condition since before he could remember, and the only reason he was still alive was due to his medication. Usually he took the suppresants with every meal, but he had forgotton to on the train ride over, probably because of the nap he took.

_It's bad enough Second Impact wiped out two thirds of the planet. But we had to get poisoned too? God must hate our guts._

Catching his breath on the floor, he gathered his things and haphazardly tossed them back into his luggage bag. Pushing down on the cover and zipping the bag closed, Shinji sat atop it and waited. He really hoped someone would come for him soon.

Also, he was seriously considering going to a convienence store and buying a drink. Swallowing those pills dry left a bad taste in his mouth.

* * *

The canned coffee was surprisingly good, considering he had only paid 270 yen at the vending machine. It was as he was working his way to the middle of the beverage that he noticed a car pulling up to the station. Pitch black in color and inconspicuous as a car could get, it wasn't so much the car that caught his attention than the woman who was sticking halfway out the window and waving enthusiastically towards him. Well, there was also the various bumbs and dents that were hard to make out in the darkness, but he was sure he was seeing wrong.

"Hey! Over here!" The woman was wearing a grey business suit over a white dress shirt, and a black scarf was draped across her neck. It was hard to tell in the dark, but Shinji thought her hair might've been dark purple, an unusual shade but not unheard of.

"You're, uh... Rokubungi Shinji, right?" She asked as he neared the car. She was smiling, and he couldn't help but return the expression.

"Yeah, that's me. Are you from Nerv?"

"Yup." She gestured towards the car's trunk. "Just dump your stuff in the back. Headquarters is about an hour and a half from here. You can sort out the finer details of your arrangement with the higher ups there. "

He placed his luggage in the spacious trunk, before getting in the vehicle. As he got in the back seat, he noted with surprise the leather interior that decorated the seats. As normal as the car was on the outside, it certainly looked comfortable on the inside.

The car was already moving just before he completely slammed the door, and he found himself buckling his seat with a bit more trepidation than usual as the driver sped through the empty streets.

As the woman made a left turn that Shinji was 99 percent sure was illegal, she decided to introduce herself. "Name's Katsuragi Misato." She stretched her arm backwards while still looking at the road, an act Shinji found impressive as he shook the offered hand. "I'll be your chauffeur for the rest of your stay in the city."

"Chauffeur?" He found himself taken aback at the word.

"Yup!" Evidently, Misato didn't share the same reservations as she answered back. "When Nerv wants someone, they roll out the red carpet. They probably figured since you don't have a car you'd need some way to get around the city." She steered the car onto a freeway entrance, where they started gaining even more speed. "That some way being me, of course." The speeding driver pulled something out of the glove compartment, and tossed it in the back next to Shinji. "By the way, sorry for being late. I got... held up."

He grabbed the object, and was surprised it was the same brand of canned coffee he had bought at the station platform. "It's fine. I didn't wait for very long." Only two and a half hours, in fact. "I hope I'm not imposing on your time, though..."

"Oh, so polite! But you shouldn't worry too much about it, I'm used to this sort of thing. If it makes you feel better, just think of me as your tour guide."

Though still skeptical, Shinji nodded in consent. "Alright then..."

Most of the drive passed in silence, with Misato attempting to make idle conversation about the city while Shinji listened or replied with single-word answers.

From what he could gather from various travel pamphlets, digging up memories of his eighth grade history classes, and a quick internet summary, Tokyo-3 was one one of the shining beacons that symbolized hope for the human race. After Second Impact managed to kill millions of people just from the initial shockwave, most of the world was then flooded after the polar ice caps were subsequently melted. Then there were the ensuing wars over what little precious resources remained, all ending with the famous Valentine Treaty fifteen years ago. Since then, with over two thirds of it's population dead, one half by Second Impact and the other half by the wars, humanity had realized they were never going to survive unless they figured out a way to work together.

The remaining governments of the UN came up with a plan to both rebuild what humany had lost and to promote worldwide cooperation. Five cities, New York, London, Moscow, Dubai, and Tokyo, all had been almost completely eradicated, and this was somewhat of a problem, considering they had been considered landmarks of their time. And so they were rebuilt, with all surviving countries assisting each other in ways never before seen. Resources, manpower, equipment; all of the things required to build a city were both sent and received by Japan to and by other governments. The new cities, each with the -2 number attached, were completed in an astonshing four years. To say that the project was a success was quite the understatement.

Tokyo-2, when it was completed along with it's sister cities, became the new center of goverment, and was built even more sturdier than it's predecessor. Old Tokyo had been eradicated by nuclear bombs during the post-Impact wars, and the heads of the country had no desire to repeat that. The city was a testament to what the human race was capable of when they worked together.

If you asked Shinji, he would tell you it was actually an example of what the human race was capable of when they were _desperate_.

However, the completion of Tokyo-2 wasn't enough for Japan. Sure, they had managed to build such a marvel in 4 years, but what if they had even longer? And so it was that through a combination of nationalistic pride, economic guidance, and bureaucratic devil magic that the construction of Tokyo-3 was commissioned.

The new city would be even bigger. Even more technologically complex. There was talk of constructing an system that would allow some buildings to retract underground in case of a large-scale attack, though it was proven economically unviable and replaced with an antimissile defense program instead. Tokyo-3 was also built next to the coast, an advantage over Tokyo-2 (even if the sea had turned crimson, there was a thriving water purification business down at the docks). All in all, Tokyo-3 was built as a message to the world: that humanity had not only survived Second Impact, but that they were recovering as well. The fact that the city was still technically under construction despite being leaps and bounds over it's predecessor made it all the more impressive.

Though speaking of the city... it was empty. He had observed as much from the relative emptiness of the platform, but this was just getting ridiculous. Even in the middle of the night, he expected for there to be least a handful of vehicles on the road. Instead, the streets were void of both people and cars. The skyscrapers, that were so tall he had to stretch his neck just to see the tops of them, seemed lifeless, with absolutely no light coming from the windows. And he also noticed that all the shops he passed were closed and had metal shutters, and this also held true for big name brands who were supposedly open 24 hours a day.

He was starting to doubt anyone actually lived here. Shinji decided to voice his curiosity. "For such a big city, it seems kind of... I don't know, _lifeless_."

"Well," Misato's voice turned solemn, "that might have something to do with the recent infestation..."

"Infestation?" The way she said the word, combined with his earlier suspicions piqued his curiosity. "Of what?"

"Of ghouls." At this, Shinji mused that his earlier assumption of Tokyo-3 being in an 'infestation' stage was proven correct.

Ghouls. Just another thing to thank Second Impact for.

"Usually they stay in their holes, but lately there have been an increase in killings. The CCG's got investigators roaming the streets, and Nerv has been installing RC checkpoints at every major intersection." The purple-haired chauffeur let out a drawn out sigh. "It's a real hassle, but I guess if it keeps me from becoming some ghoul's lunch, I can't really complain."

And Shinji completely agreed. Despite the possibility of him having troubles passing the RC checkpoints due to his condition, the fact that the city was being monitored so heavily for ghoul activity reassured him. After all, it would be a bit disheartening to see the city that the government had put so much effort into taken over by the man-eating creatures.

"There aren't any ghouls where I come from." Which was a bit odd, now that he thought about it. After all, a relatively small village with a close-minded community miles away from any CCG office? The more he thought about it, the more he realized his village should have been prime ghoul feeding grounds. He let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm actually kind of scared, now."

"Eh, you'll be fine," Misato reassured him. "You just gotta remember to lock your doors and stay inside at night. And if for some reason you do find yourself out at night..." she patted an object laying on the front passengers seat he hadn't noticed before, "...carry a briefcase with ya."

"... a briefcase?"

"Preferably a metal one." Looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing his skepticism, Misato let out a small chuckle. "Look, just trust me on this. If any ghouls do spot ya at night, they'll think twice about trying to get you. After all, Investigators are known to carry their quinques in briefcases, and no ghoul wants to pick a fight with them."

"I see..." Logically, it did make sense. Although, Shinji didn't think he could pull something like that off. He wasn't... intimidating enough, he supposed.

"Well, it's not like that applies to you. After all, you're gonna be taken care of by Nerv." She took an exit off the freeway, and stopped at a red light before turning her head to look at Shinji. "I know this sounds like self-promotion and all, what with me getting paid by them, but Nerv takes care of it's own."

He felt the need to bring up that he wasn't an employee, that he was just some kid they decided to put through college, probably even because of his father. But he couldn't bring himself to say the words, not when Misato seemed so eager to get him settled with the idea. He wanted to thank her.

_**CRASH**_

Then the truck plowed straight into their side.

He wasn't sure how he was still conscious. Actually, to hell with that, he wasn't even harmed?!

The truck that had rammed them had it's front smashed in from the impact. The glass was broken on it's sides, and the front had just completely shattered. If Shinji craned his head, he could see bits and pieces of the vehicle's engine, oil fluid leaking out and everything. The truck was huge, maybe twice his height and wider than some streets he had seen. It had probably crashed into them at 60 kilometers an hour.

And yet, their car seemed undamaged. The glass didn't even have the beginnings of cracks, and the door wasn't malformed either.

They hadn't even been dislodged a foot.

"Well, shit." With an annoyed look on her face, Misago grimaced at the truck that had just collided into them as though it were a minor annoyance, which, considering the near-perfect state their car was in, it probably was. "Looks like they found us."

Before he could ask Misato what she meant be that, or if they should check on the other driver, or why the car appeared to be as _armored as a tank_, she slammed her foot on the accelerator and they sped off like a rocket. "Hang on!"

If he had thought they were going fast before, it was nothing compared to now. Whereas Misato had at the very least observed some traffic laws, she was just speeding ahead without taking red lights or stop signs into consideration. In the haze of confusion brought by having technically been in a car crash and the dizzying speeds they were now driving, Shinji noticed something.

There were people on the sidewalks now, and some were even for rushing out onto the streets, as if they could catch the car. They wore dark red cloaks from head to toe, and an oni mask covered their features. But what scared Shinji even more? There were some on top of _buildings_, jumping between the structures at breakneck pace, almost fast enough to catch them.

It took him a second, but eventually he figured it out.

These weren't humans.

They were _ghouls_.

"This is Cross! The enemy has found us!" Misato was yelling into a radio she had pulled out of the glove compartment, and she grunted as she jerked the wheel to make a hard left." I repeat, the enemy has found us! Requesting Section 8 support, over!"

There was a burst of static from the radio, before a deep voice replied in a calm manner. _ "Cross, this is Onyx. There's a safehouse not too far from your position, on Kuyama and Tadashi. Personnel in the area is minimal, but we can alert nearby Investigators if-"_

"Negative." There were some ghouls standing in the middle of the street, looking for all the world as if they would stop the speeding vehicle with their bare hands. "There's to be no interference from the CCG. Orders from the Commander." Amazingly, the car started to accelerate even further, and before Shinji could say 'stop', they had plowed through the bodies. There was a squelching sound at the impact, Shinji could hear something rolling on top of the hood before landing on the asphalt behind with a sick _crunch_.

_Did she... did she just kill them?!_ Panicking, Shinji grasped his head with his hands and closed his eyes as tightly as he could. _No, it's okay. They were just ghouls. It's okay to kill them, right? Right. They're just ghouls, they're just ghouls, they're just ghouls..._

"Damnit!" Misato avoided the next group of bodies. There were upturned cars on the road now, probably put there as barriers. Normally this would have worked in the ghouls' favor, well, it would have, if the car she was driving wasn't as armored as a tank. So she just plowed through the obstructions, barely feeling the jolt except for the loss of speed. "Well, looks like I owe Rits a favor for lending me this car!" She shifted into a higher gear to make up for lost speed. They were almost there, just a few more turns...!

She almost didn't spot the telltale shimmering in the distance, but when she did, she knew they had a problem.

"AH, CRAP!" Misato jerked the wheel to the side, making it so when they hit the obstruction, they wouldn't be beheaded. The tactic worked, and the car was suddenly stopped, though due to the force of the impact and the speed at which they had hit it, both Shinji and Misato were ragdolled in their seats.

When he hit his head on the glass, Shinji's vision exploded into a clound of white and grey. There was pain, almost like he was having another RC episode. He smelt smoke, and realized that they had been forcibily stopped. Fumbling for his seat belt, he unhooked the latch and opened the car door, collapsing to his knees and his hands grasped at the asphalt. He felt like throwing up, again, but it never came, and he shakily got up to his feet. In his dazed state, he noticed Misato had also gotten out of the car, and was holding a metal briefcase in one hand while her other kept him steady on his feet.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The question was so out of left field that Shinj almost let out a burst of laughter. _Of course I'm not alright!_ As it was, he just nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm good." He took a moment to to balance himself by supporting his arm on the roof of the car. "Just what the hell did we hit?"

"Reinforced titanium nanowires. Thin enough for you not to notice them, but strong enough to decapitate a human being in a vehicle moving fast enough." She pointedly glanced at the car. "Or to stop them. Where the hell did they get something like that?"

"You'd be surprised what you can purchase with enough renown, Investigator!"

The voice came from their left, and when Shinji turned to see who had called out to them, he was a bit shocked.

She was about as tall as Misato, who stood at 5 feet 6 inches, and her long ponytail that fell to her back was the same shade of purple, though that was where the similarities between the two ended. She wore a light brown tank-top that ended just above her waistline, and dark green cargo pants with a pair of nondescript sneakers. Her arms were adorned with what looked like tribal tattoos and bracelets. But what drew his attention the most was the mask on her face. It was a theatrical tradegy mask, with lines of white and black running across it in seemingly random patterns.

She was also surrounded by a crowd of the robe-wearing ghouls.

As the woman began to walk further towards them, the ghouls behind her murmuring in anticipation, Misato made a show of stepping in front of him. "Shinji," she hurriedly whispered, "do you see that alleyway to our right?"

Deciding discretion was what was needed at the moment, he glanced at said alleyway through the corner of his vision. "... yeah," he whispered back, "yeah, I do."

"I want you to run to it." She began to raise the briefcase in her hand as the masked woman approached them. "Run for about 200 meters, then make a right on Kuyama."

"I don't under-"

"Shinji, I need you to trust me on this." Misato's voice was beginning to waver. "I'll answer whatever questions you might have later, but right now I need you to trust me." She waited a moment for a response, but continued anyway when Shinji remained silent. "Make a right on Kuyama, and head for the construction site. You can't miss it. When you get there, look for a small shack with a red door, and wait for me there. They'll probably ask you for a password, but just tell them I sent you." She looked at him directly now. "Do you understand?"

Shinji, understandably, did not. He understood the directions. He knew what she was asking of him. What he didn't understand, was why she was asking him to leave her alone. "I-"

"Its been a while, Special Investigator Katsuragi!" The masked woman was standing across from them now, probably only by ten meters. She had her hands spread outwards, as though inviting Misato for a hug. Then woman took on a pondering expression, her arms crossed and head down in contemplation. "Or should I call you Major, now? I heard about your new employer. Congratulations!"

"Leliel." Misato bit out, in a tone somewhere between hate and exasperation. She let out a sigh, and decided she would just have to deal with this. "Yeah, well, you know me. Doesn't matter who I work for, as long as I can put monsters like you six feet under."

Now thoroughly confused, Shinji was about to speak up when Misato tilted her head to the right and pointedly looked at him. The meassage was clear: _Go._

Though he still had reservations about it, Shinji ignored them, and ran straight towards the alleyway. As he made it between the two buildings, he heard movement following after him, but it was quickly stopped by something slashing through the air, followed by a splashing sound and accompianed by several heavy thuds.

Shinji wisely chose not to look back, and kept running.

* * *

"I see you've got yourself a new quinque." The pseudo enthusiastic demeanor Leliel wore earlier was gone, instead replaced by a cross between wary and smug. "It wasn't anyone I knew, was it?"

Misato chose not to answer, and instead raised her weapon, poised to attack with blood still dripping from it's blade. When Shinji had turned to run, four of the cloaked ghouls had broken off from the crowd and ran after him. Naturally, she couldn't have that, and decided to deal with them in the best way she knew how: by executing them.

It wasn't too hard. After all, she had been fighting ghouls for years, slicing through a couple C-class' with their backs turned was next to nothing for her. Her quinque, as well, was just as versatile as her.

The bikaku-type quinque: Otoshira.

At first glance, the weapon resembled a simple katana, if made of liquid muscle and colored purple and black. However, therein lied it's trickiness - it could also extend to great lengths, functioning almost like a whip. A sharp, deadly, sometimes poisonous whip.

Twirling the quique in her hand, she brought it down with a quick slash, and the blood of the pursuing ghouls splashed against the asphalt.

Leliel observed her opponent's casual handling of the weapon before letting out a giggle "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now." Underneath her mask, her eyes shifted, changing her sclera pitch black and her pupils an ominous crimson. From her lower back, three tendrils of black burst forth, wavering in the air with forboding. Her kagune out and focused for the ensuing battle, Leliel lowered herself into a fighting stance. "Hopefully it's not as fragile as your last."

_I've got the advantage here. If I can get close enough to her, I should be able to cut off her kagune one by one. Her rinkaku might've been able to shatter my previous koukaku-type, but the playing field is even now_. Misato warily eyed the crowd that stood behind Leliel. _That is, assuming I don't have to worry about those guys_. She gripped Otoshira's hilt with both hands and tensed her body in preperation. "To be honest, I haven't had a chance to try it out yet." Her eyes narrowed at the other woman. "Care to volunteer?"

"Gladly." Even with the mask on, Misato could practically hear the smile breaking out on Leliel's face. "It'll be nice to get in a warm up."

They both stood still, tense in anticipation.

Leliel moved first.

She darted forward, concrete breaking from the force of her push. She zig-zagged her way towards Misato, hoping to throw her off with the disorientating approach. Not one to be tricked so easily, Misato simply slashed Otoshira vertically, forcing the ghoul to crash on all-fours to evade. Nonplussed by the attack, Leliel started to sprint at her prey, rolling forward and side-stepping every swing the former Investigator sent her way. Bringing her rinkaku up, she twisted her body and sent the deadly appendages flying towards her enemy.

Just as Leliel's kagune came close, Misato retracted Otoshira's blade and parried the tendrils, tucking herself forward and making a pounce-like movement to close the distance between her and the ghoul. Bringing her quinque above her head, Misato brought it down in an overhead slash that cut off one of Leliel's tentacles as she tried to defend and created a deep gash along her shoulder.

Having one of her appendages taken away from her, the masked ghoul instantly retreated, performing an impressive backflip to gain ground. As Leliel inspected the damage to her shoulder, her body started to shake in fury. She looked towards the ghoul spectators behind her and gestured towards the nearest bunch "Get her!" She growled, pointing at Misato.

_So, she's not proud enough that she won't call on backup_. The thought reassured Misato. _It's good to see she hasn't changed much. Makes it easier to kill her_.

Eager to impress the seeming leader of the group, six ghouls broke from the crowd and attempted to rush her. She cut down one before he even got near her, and decapited two in the same swing. The third got two close to her, and was skewered for his efforts. Misato braced her arms and tossed the corpse at the running fourth ghoul, who momentarily fumbled with the body. She cut through both of them in the distraction, but had to dodge an onslaught of ukaku shards. She let out a battlecry as the distance was closed, cutting the offending fifth ghoul from shoulder to groin. The sixth and final ghoul was the most patient of the group, though he still shook in fear at the sight of five of his comrades being easily killed. His koukaku, resembling a large kite shield, gave Misato only a moment's pause as she casually whipped Otoshira's blade at his feet and cut off the appendages. And as he fell to the ground, she calmly removed his head, letting the sack of meat splatter against the pavement.

The ghouls were taken aback. This was the work of a Special Investigator, a reaper among humans. The blood of their comrades covered the both the street and the clothes of the deadly woman. Horror spread throughout the crowd, as each ghoul reevaluated just how far they were willing to go for their leader.

And Misato?

_This is going to take forever to wash out_. She lifted her previously white scarf to her face, blood sharply contrasting against the fabric. _And I just bought this damn thing, too_.

"You've gotten faster, Katsuragi." Leliel gave the complement grudgingly, but msde sure to add an insult just to balance things out. "Still that same blood thirsty beast, I see."

"And you're just as cowardly as before." Misato retorted. "Though, sending your minions to kill me for you? I don't remember you being that timid." She let out a small chuckle at her own dark humor, though the feeling was immediately snatched away as she realized something. "Wait a minute." She planted her quinque into the pavement, Otoshira easily sliding into the ground as Misato pointed accusingly at Leliel. "Just what the hell are you planning? You never attack out in the open like this. Usually I had to search whatever hideout you were in and drag you out."

The masked ghoul scoffed. "I'll have you know I'm just as uncomfortable with this situation as you are." Misato scoured her words for a hint of a lie or a clue of sarcasm, but found the words to be completely honest. "But one of my siblings called in a favor, and you know how I hate being in debt."

"A favor?" As the gears in Misato's head began to turn, she directed her thoughts upon the previous days planning. _The only ones that knew about the existence of this operation were me and some of the more informed higher ups. It was supposed to be easy, just pick the kid up and drive him to HQ. So how did they know were we were_? She could accept the truck ramming into them as a moment of opportunity, but the upturned cars and nanowire placed upon the agreed escape route blatantly screamed of forknowledge on the ghouls' part. _So if they knew where the emergency escape route was, wouldn't that mean they would know where-_

Realization suddenly dawned on the former Special Investigator.

_Shinji!_

Misato snatched Otoshira out of the earth and made a beeline for the alleyway. She had to get to Shinji, had to warn him before -

"Don't take your eyes off me, Investigator!"

Barely managing to to turn and bring her quinque up, Misato parried the attack, pushing back two of the black tendrils, only for Leliel to jump back, then burst forward again.

It was a typical ghoul attack pattern: utilizing the element of surprise along with their superior speed was a proven way to take out Investigators, rookie and veteran alike. Chiding herself for leaving her back open like an amateur, Misato extended her blade in an attempt to slash the rinkaku-type ghoul, but only managing to scratch the skin of Leliel's arm as she backpedaled.

More ghouls came forth from the horde, yet their mistake was charging at her in numbers of two and threes. Misato cut them down as easily as she had with the others. As she sliced a bikaku-type ghoul in half vertically, she was shocked to witness Leliel literally burst through the remains of the corpse, her kagune spinning around in a rapid motion meant to pulverize her. Misato rolled to the right, and sent Otoshira after the retreating form of Leliel, only for the ghoul to vanish among the crowd of monsters.

_So that's why she brought the party. _Misato calmly considered her situation as she readjusted her grip on the quinque. It wasn't to overwhelm me with numbers. _She intended to use them all as a giant moving meatshield_. Which gave her two options: she could either attempt to reach Shinji again (which wasn't a viable action, considering she would probably get swamped the moment she tried to break away), or, she could just simply...

Misato let out a small sigh, before standing up straight and addressed the mass of ghouls. "We're at a bit of an impasse, Leliel. You want to kill me. Understandable, it really is... but I don't get paid by the hour." She lifted Otoshira up in a traditional kendo stance, shifting her legs into a proper form. "So I'm going to have to kill you, and possibly everyone you brought with you. It's nothing personal, 'cept it is. You get it, right?"

"I'm a bit insulted you think of me as such a low-level threat, but I suppose I'll be able to work that to my advantage one day." Among the writhing mass of bodies, Leliel grinned ear-to-ear. "So, are you ready to die? Shinigami?!"

"Geez, I really wish people would stop calling me that." Misato reached for the insides of her business suit, pulling out her radio and speaking into it. "Onyx, this is Cross again. I'm going to activate it. Prepare to run damage control."

_"Cross, you know that's only meant to be used in emergencies! The human body isn't suppoed to be exposed to-"_

"Trust me, this is kind of an emergency." Warily eyeing the crowd of ghouls, Misato did a quick general head count, before confirming her decision. "Yeah, definitely an emegency."

There was silence on the other end of the line, but the voice finally sighed in acceptance. _"Alright, but make it quick. Gold says you have ten minutes, tops, before your body starts to break down. Eliminate the threat and retrieve the Third Child."_

Misato grimaced at the upcoming trial she was about to take on. "Roger that, Cross out."

"You done talking to your boyfriend, Shinigami?" Leliel's mocking voice seemed to come from all directions, and a chuckle ran throughout the crowd at her words. "In case you forgot, we're in the middle of a fight!"

"Is that what that was? I though we were just playing around." She muttered the words low enough so it sounded like she was saying it to herself, but loud enough that everyone present could just barely hear it. When there was no retort, Misato let herself smirk in amusement, before settling back into an air of grim determination. "Here goes everything."

She pressed a red button on the bottom of Otoshira's hilt, and every ghoul in the vicinity flinched back when a feeling of primal terror suddenly made itself known in their minds.

A moment later, and a blinding orange-white light lit up the street.

_Shinji, stay alive. I'll get to you as soon as I can. I swear it!_

* * *

Misato had been right. The construction site really was hard to miss. Having grown up in a rural village, when someone said the words 'construction site', they usually meant a wooden skeleton of a house that took up no more than a single story. Sometimes they meant future farming land that would have to be cleared and the soil turned so it could be used.

He had not been expecting the metal monstrosity before him.

It stood at maybe forty, fifty, sixty stories high, and it was surrounded by cranes, saftey nets, and hanging I-beams. And in the darkness of the night, it stood imposingly, a metal specter of ominous harbingers among the buildings. Normally Shinji would have avoided such a place like the plague. As it was, being chased by a horde of ghouls beat out scary tall buildings on the fear factor any day of the week. One looked like it would swallow you up, while the other actually would swallow you up, right after killing you in some horrible manner.

He ran through the construction lot, running past discarded tools and piles of wood. He tripped over a few things in the darkness, but was able to locate the shed due to the light shining overhead the bright crimson door, the one Misato had told him to seek sanctuary in..

Now, Shinji was by no means a genius, but by no means was he gullible. However, there are just some human instincts, such as self-preservation, that are overridden by one's natural curiosity.

So when he saw that the red door in question was open, his curiosity managed to stave off the feeling of foreboding that should have told him to run as far away as possible. As it was, he found himself approaching the door as silently as he could, slowly reaching out and grasping the handle. The door creaked slightly, causing him to wince in anticipation, before he finally decided to hell with it, and threw open the door.

It was perhaps a good thing that he had skipped lunch and hadn't yet had dinner. Otherwise, he might have emptied his stomach out right then and there.

There was blood everywhere. It coated the floors, the ceilings, the walls, even the luminescent light bulb dangling from the ceiling, which cast a redish glow among the room. And then there were the arms. And the legs. And the torso's. And the dismembered heads, all frozen in a permenant expression of terror, all of which were neatly stacked against the farthest wall. Most of the body parts were still dripping, and some even had bits and pieces of clothing stuck to them.

Then Shinji noticed the man.

He was huge, towering over the college student like some giant. He wore what looked like a burlap sack over himself like a robe, reaching all the way to his bare feet, his arms and head exposed. His face was obscured by a bird-like mask with a long beak, and through the large openings that served as eyeholes Shinji saw the black sclera and red pupils of a ghoul.

Man and ghoul stood across from one another, not two meters froom each, each having nothing to say. Then, as if by some silent signal, the giant of a ghoul slightly raised his mask uo, revealing a set of large, pointed, and dripping _crimson _teeth pulled together in a devilish mockery of a smile.

"Yo."

Shinji turned and ran.

The fact that ghouls, man-eating creatures which were superior to humans in almost every way, were actively pursuing him hadn't quite registered in his mind yet. To be honest, he was just treating the night's events as a dream he wouldn't have to worry about when he woke up.

So when he started to take what was actually happening as _what was actually happening,_ he reacted appropriately.

Sprinting towards the exposed metal interior of the building, Shinji Rokubungi let out the most authentic scream of terror in his life. Subconciously, he knew it was a bad idea, not only because screaming would most certainly give away his position to the ghoul, but because by screaming he was wasting precious breathing time, which could better be put to use as energy for _running away faster_.

He didn't know where to run, or where to hide - or god's sake, he had just arrived in the city! Where the hell were the police, or the the CCG for that matter? If there really were Investigators roaming the streets, then surely there was no way that they could've missed the giant horde of ghouls that had chased him and Misato through the streets, right? In a fit of grim humor, Shinji thought of how he probably could've holed up somewhere safe until morning, when he could board a train and go back to his small village, where there were no skyscrapers or empty streets or ghouls!

And all of that was a non-option, because he had opened the damn door.

Before he could contemplate even more harshly upon his actions, Shinji felt something grab him from behind. And before he knew it, he was off of his feet and flying through the air. He hit his back upon one of the metal supports, and screamed in pain from the impact. The wind knocked out of him, he collapsed onto the ground and futilely attmpted to crawl away from his attacker. It was not to be.

Once again he was lifted from the floor, though thankfully he wasn't thrown this time. It was almost gentfully that his back was pushed against the support, before an enormous amount of pressure caused Shinji to grunt in pain, and that was before the ridiculously muscled hand wrapped itself around his throat.

The man with the bird mask was even larger up close. Shinji struggled to draw in breath, trying to gain even the slightest bit of slack from the man's iron-like grip, kicking with his legs at the man's abdomen. Yet nothing worked. In fact, the man began to chuckle. "You know, this is actually kind of amusing." He started to squeeze harder, appearing to savor the torment of his victim. "I know you haven't been trained or anything, but it still feels good, getting to kilo one of Ikari's dogs... oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself!" The cloaked figure laughed at both his slip and the sight of his prey still struggling. "My name is Sachiel."

There was silence in the under-construction building, with the exception of Shinji attempting to squeeze ait down his throat. After a while of nothing but his ragged wheezing, Sachiel grew bored. "You know, I almost feel bad about this. It's kind of like kicking a puppy." He took a moment to think, before he smiled under his mask. "Oh, I know!"

For the second time that night, Shinji found himself flying through the air. He landed hard on the ground outside the building, tumbling around on the dirt before laying on the ground on his back. He coughed up a bit of dust he had taken in his mouth, before gulping down sweet, sweet ajr. His repreive didn't last long, as the silhouette of Sachiel blocked his view of the starry sky.

And then the giant of a man crushed his left arm with his foot.

"_AAGGGHH!_" The pain he experienced from his seizures were nothing compared to what he felt now. His hand spasmed in grotesque ways before falling limp. In his desperation to quiet the pain, Shinji futiley tried to pry tthe monster's foot off, only for Sachiel to gleefully apply more pressure. The college student screamed in pain, feeling his shattered bone scrape against his muscle.

"Yes, YES! That's much better!" Excitement could be heard in Sachiel's gruff voice. Underneath his mask, the ghoul's smile grew impossibly large. "I forgot how much _fun _it is with you young ones! They always let out much better sounds than the older humans! Once I kill you, I think I might keep your spine as a souvenir!"

Smething snapped in Shinji's brain at those words. He stopped struggling, stopped screaming, and most importantly, he went limp.

All the enjoyment Sachiel had evaporated in an instant. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" Hoping to get a reaction out of the human, he raised his foot before stomping on the same place.

Not even a whimper.

_I am going to die here. _Clarity. It was the only thing Shinji could think of. _This ghoul is going to kill me, and then categorize my organs and body parts like he did to those men in the shed. Nobody will care either. Well, maybe my dad, but I don't even know how he'll find out. After all, I'm just some kid from the countryside. Just another tallymark on the number of people that've been killed by ghouls. _ He huffed in annoyance. _I wonder if teacher will raise a gravestone in my name? ... probably not, the greedy bastard. Oh well._

Resigning himself to his fate, Shinji decided he'd like to spend his last moments watching the nighttime sky. He ignored the shouts of the ghoul towering over him, and continued to do so when threatening wings made of a curious crystal burst from the creatures back. All he wanted to do was look at the stars.

Instead, his attention was drawn towards the huge I-beams falling from the sky and looking for all the world as if they were about to crush him.

* * *

If he were honest with himself, Kozou Fuyutsuki would admit that he hated his job. Well, maybe hate was a strong word. He was more suited towards teaching the next generation at a college than he was to being the Vice Commander of an enigmatic PMC. And he was sure that, lacking any military background, he was probably legally unqualified as well. But, he had made a promise to an old student of his. Also, he was the one individual that the Commander of Nerv implicitly trusted without doubt. In a way, it was somewhat flattering. And besides, the job wasn't without it's benefits.

This was not one of them.

As he stepped into the office of the Commander, he couldn't help the sense of unease that always seemed to come with the place. It was huge, as befitting of the head of an orginization such as Nerv, to be sure. But it was also dark. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the place, but Fuyutsuki always felt as though the office were actually the maw of some foreboding cave. The only thing keeping him from being convinced of such a thing was the glowing outline of the tree of Yggdrasil on the relatively low-hanging ceiling.

Fuyutsuki walked towards the desk in the middle of the room, before standing stock still before his employer, and his student. "Commander." He had to speak swiftly, otherwise his words wouldn't be taken much into account. "The Third Child has arrived. There were some complications, but everything turned out just as we had planned. Katsuragi picked up the Third Child, and engaged Leliel on her way back to HQ. And the boy had his... _encounter_, with Sachiel. Our other agent managed to play his part perfectly as well."

There was silence as the Commander digested Fuyutsuki's words. "The boy is still alive, I trust?"

"Somehow, yes."

A scoff. "It wouldn't do for him to die just yet. We appear to be on schedule so far."

"All things considered, things worked out for the best." _Though you could have let Katsuragi know a bit more concerning the situation_, Fuytsuki bitterly thought. He took a moment to let in a small breath before continuing. "Should we get your son prepped for the surgery?" _Say no. Just say NO_.

"Will his body be able to handle it?" Annnnd he was immediately dissapointed. "I'd rather he didn't have much of a choice, but I don't want to put too much strain on him."

The cold efficiency with which the Commander of Nerv wpoke almost sent a shiver down the professor's spine. Almost. "He'll pull through. He _is_ Gendo's son, after all."

The Commander let out a bark of laughter, reminding Fuyutsuki that for all the postering the Commander went through, she was still human. "A reasonable point if there ever was one. Very well. Alert Doctor Akagi, tell her to get my husband's kagune ready."

Then there was one more point to address. "Should she aim to make him a One-Eye or a Quinx?"

"You've read his psyche profile: what do you think?"

At this, Fuyutsuki's stomach dropped. "Have a heart, Yui." Maybe he could appeal to her motherly instincts? Persuade her to abandon this ridiculous path? "You're asking me to decide what type of monster to make your son into."

His former student's motherly instincts responded alright, just not in the way he wanted them to. "How do you think _I_ feel?" The commander brushed a strand of brown hair behind her hair before continuing in a biting tone. "I'm his _mother_. We all need to make sacrifices, Professor. Otherwise we're all doomed."

A pregnant pause intruded on their conversation, if one could even call it that. Finally, Fuyutsuki broke the silence by turning around and marching towards the door. He opened the door, and turned around to address Yui Ikari one last time. "I'll alert you when it's done." And with that, he slammed the door, leaving behind the Commander of Nerv.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview**

* * *

_"The names' Ryoji Kaji. I'm your handler."_

_"You have a choice, no matter what they say."_

_"Do you understand what I'm telling you"_

_"Damn it... what the hell have you done to me!?"_

**2 - [ Ramifications ] - 2**


	3. Ramifications

**AN: **_First of a__ll, I want to make something absolutely clear: Yes, I did basically give Misato Ivy Valentine's whip-sword. No, I didn't realize I had done so until after the fact, but by the time I did, I kind of thought that it fit. Now that we've got that out of the way..._

_This chapter feels just a tab bit longer than the first, though I'd like to think it's because this one focuses on world building rather than action. Hopefully I managed to properly explain the world's situation without giving too much away. This is, basically, still Evangelion. And it wouldn't be Eva without some mysteries to solve. __On a completely unrelated note, I have seen the future of anime, and it is called _Sex and Violence with Machspeed_. It is the touching story of a sentient sex doll, her shark-detective pimp, and a shape-shifting monkey who battle against dinosaur yakuza. Just... look it up._

* * *

**The World Unraveled**

**2 - [ Ramifications ] - 2**

* * *

_"Who can name me the three main negative repercussions of Second Impact and how they continue to affect present society?"_

_Considering the subject matter concerned itself with an apocalyptic event that could have easily destroyed the human race, it was somewhat surprising that the class wasn't paying too much attention. Shinji, the ever-observant student he was, knew that it was because their parents had already covered the matter with them beforehand. Even his own guardian had taken the time to properly explain what happened that fateful day, though it was more a brief summation than anything else._

_He was a junior that year. His own village only taught elementary and middle school, so he had to bike to the nearest town over and attend classes there. It was a bit of a hassle, as he never stuck around long enough to make friends, but it was something all teenagers had to go through__._

_Although he had no favorite subjects, he could at least admit to finding History interesting. It helped that his sensei was rather passionate about the subject. The man, twenty-something and with an unusually handsome face for a teacher, looked over his students before finding one. "Rue?"_

_"Well, millions of people_ died._"__ The girl, Rue, spoke the statement with a strange combination of astonishment and disbelief, as if the answer was obvious from the start._

_The teacher seemed to ponder his student's words. "While it is true the tremendous loss of life took a heavy toll on the world, it was more of an immediate problem. At the risk of sounding insensitive, it is no longer an issue commonly thought of." The teacher looked for willing students with a different answer. Seeing a raised hand, the teacher called out the individual's name. __"Kotsuo?"_

_"Global instability?" It was more a question than an answer, and at the teasing look in the teacher's eyes, Kotsuo hesitantly continued, " ... which is bad, because now that there aren't as many of us as before, right? Which makes it harder for us to rebuild?"_

_The teacher nodded his head in acceptance. "A good answer. Anyone else?" A pause. "Mishida?"_

_"The planet's axis was realigned." The answer was given straight out of the textbook. Shinji noted that this particular individual sounded bored, not that he could blame him. "Though, I don't understand how that's a negative thing."_

_A good-natured chuckle escaped from the teacher. "I would imagine so. It may be hard to believe, but Japan once had different seasons." The concept of seasons, while vaguely familiar to Shinji, garnered the attention of his classmates as well. "Four, to be exact, every year. One of which," a smile broke over the teacher's face, "caused it to snow."_

_Shinji perked up at that. His guardian often talked about snow, in a longing voice that spoke of happy memories. Though whenever he inquired as to it's nature, his guardian would always shut him out. __Evidently, his classmates were just as curious as he was, as they all began to ask questions of the teacher._

_The teacher was having none of it. "Settle down." He spoke in a reproachful tone. "You can ask Sachizawa-sensei about it if you're still curious." He gave the class a moment to quiet itself before continuing. "So that's two down. Can anyone name the last one?" No one volunteered to answer this time, and the teacher's eyes roamed over each individual student before finally settling on Shinji. "Rokubungi? How about you?"_

_He could have easily given the answer. Maybe it was because the issue had more to do with him than most others, but his hesitancy was enough for the rest of the class to stare at him. Shinji, now the center of attention, then voiced his words in a dull monotone. "... the appearance of Red Child Cells."_

_In his defense, the teacher seemed to realize he had inadvertently called attention to Shinji's condition, and attempted to garner the spotlight away from his intrepid student. It worked for the most part, though some still eyed him with the natural suspicion that came with having Langely's Disease. "Yes." The man coughed loudly before continuing. "Matsushita-sensei can go into deeper detail with it, but here's the short version: the meteorite which caused Second Impact is widely thought to have been radioactive." He brought up a picture, really an artist's rendition, of the now-infamous meteorite on the wall display. "The leftover radiation spread throughout the atmosphere, mutating about one eighteenth of the remaining population." The percentage was written on the chalkboard stand next to the teacher's desk, and was circled for good measure. "Now, humans still don't know by what process RC Cells mutate their hosts, but what we do know is...?" _

_When nobody bothered to continue the instructors sentence, Shinji glanced around the classroom and found that excluding the teacher, all eyes were pointedly glaring at him. As though it was his _fault. _He scowled, but quickly returned to his usual bored expression and spoke the words everyone in the room was thinking._

_"Those first infected would eventually become the world's first Ghouls."_

* * *

"Rise and shine, kid."

When he woke from the dream, the first thing he noticed was the unfamiliar ceiling. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying down on a surprisingly comfortable cot. Then came the realization that he was wearing some kind of paper clothing, the numerous tubes running out of his arm and into an IV drip, and the fact he couldn't see through his left eye.

Also, he wasn't alone.

The man was lounging in an armchair, and though he was sitting Shinji could easily tell the man was taller, probably by five or six inches. He wore a nondescript pair of slacks, pointed black shoes, and a white untucked dress shirt. Brown hair was wrapped into a ponytail, and a smile sat neatly upon the man's face. It was as Shinji gained his bearings and began to sit up that the newcomer addressed him. "Well, you still look like hell, but at least it's an improvement from when they dragged you in here." There was also a cigarette in man's mouth, letting out a cloud of smoke with each word.

"Where... where am I?" Shinji's voice came out cracked and hoarse, and a small cough made it's way out his throat.

"Nerv HQ's medical wing." The visitor took in a long drag of the cigarette before removing it from his mouth and smothering it in an ash tray sitting on his arm rest. He let out the cloud of smoke as he spoke next. "You _were _in intensive care for a while, but your condition stabilized so I had them move you here." An arm gesture was made in in all directions. "It's more comfortable."

_Well, the cot sure is comfy, _Shinji idly noted, _it sure beats the one I used to sleep on as a kid. _"How did..." he wondered which question he should voice of the many he had, "how did I get here?"

A frown broke out over the man's face. "So, you don't remember?" He reached downwards, gripping a clipboard and hand mirror that lay on the floor. As he brought the items up, he tossed the mirror on Shinji's lap and observed the contents of the board. "Here, let me read you a list, see if it jogs your memory." He took a moment to clear his throat. "Damaged larynx, broken bones in the right arm, _crushed _bones in the left and your legs, liquefied organs, crushed spine, severe head concussion, puncture wound to the stomach and kidneys..." There was a brief moment of silence before the man looked back up at Shinji with a bored look, "and they had to cover up your left eye." Another beat. "Oh, and you were having an RC seizure when they found you, so there's also that."

It took a second for Shinji's brain to register the fact that his mouth was hanging slightly ajar.

"How... how am I still alive?" The amount of damage the man had just listed off were all of extreme nature, ludicrously so. But there was another thing bothering him. As he testily moved his arms and legs, he asked the man: "And why don't I feel like shit?"

The visitor grinned in a way that reminded the college student of how his teacher would smile when one of his students said something exceptionally idiotic. "Sciencey-magic, kid." As if that would explain everything. Though, come to think of it, it was probably supposed to. "They had to replace most of your bones with titanium prosthetic's, and a majority of your organs were paste, so they had to give you a couple of transplants as well."

Rather than look at the man in disbelief, no matter how much he wanted to do so, Shinji instead chose to give himself a once-over. Nothing _looked _different, at least on the surface, and his insides felt generally well-settled. He actually would have doubted the man's words if he hadn't spotted the almost invisible scars against his fair skin. Picking up the hand mirror, he angled it so he could observe his face, and was shocked to see a decent amount of medical gauze covering his left eye, and a barely distinguishable bruise covering his right.

And now that he thought about it, he felt fine. If he were to be honest, Shinji felt better than when he had arrived in the city. Almost as if he had been refreshed.

It really didn't make any sense, so he said the only thing you could think of. "I see..."

The man scoffed at him good naturedly. "No offense kid, but no, I don't think you do." He leaned forward in the chair, preparing himself. "You see, when we found you, you were for all intents and purposes clinically _dead._"

There was a period of silence between the two where it would have been possible to hear the sound of a pin drop.

"That's impossible." Shinji delivered the line as monotonously as he could, but he couldn't deny that the man's words actually scared him. After all, the man had no reason to lie, and you don't just drop that sort of information on someone for no reason.

And surprisingly, the man agreed. "Yeah, it's not everyday someone gets snatched from the grave and gets put back together better than they were before."

In the back of his head, Shinji noted how the last half of that sentence concerned him somewhat. However, he chose instead to divert his attention towards the topic he was most curious about. After how he had been resurrected from the dead, of course. "I'm sorry, but, who are you?"

The man didn't have the look or demeanor of a doctor. A nurse, maybe? But he wasn't wearing scrubs, nor did he have an ID badge strapped to his arm. The only other possibility Shinji could think of was that he was an official of sorts. Perhaps from the CCG, maybe even an investigator? He certainly possessed the physique, if not the air of professionalism.

"That's right, I forgot to introduce myself." The man in question held his hand out in greeting. "The names' Kaji Ryoji." Being the polite person he was, Shinji shook Kaji's hand. "I'm your handler."

Well. That was unexpected. "My what?"

The man - now identified as Kaji - let out a low sigh, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out... was that a pocket watch? "You sure got a lot of questions, kid. " He flipped open the cover, before nodding to himself and putting it back. "And just 'cause I'm paid to answer them doesn't make it any less of a bother."

Personally, Shinji felt he was obligated some answers, what with having been put seemingly through hell and having 'sciency-magic' done to him, though he realized how rude the sentiment seemed. "Oh, sorry. It's just, with everything going on-"

"No, no, I get it," Kaji interrupted with a small smile. "If it were me, I'd be flipping out right now. I'm surprised you're not doing just that."

Shinji shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I try to just go with the flow. Everything happens for a reason." It was what he'd been taught.

"That's pretty mature for a kid."

"I'm 19, okay?" He had stopped being treated like a kid when he was 10, and he didn't like when someone pointed out his youth, no matter how well-intentioned. He had let Kaji get away with calling him a kid for the sake of politeness, but now the man was getting a bit too familiar.

"And I'm 32," Kaji shot back, with that same smile. "Which still makes you a kid."

Shinji fought back the urge to huff in annoyance, reminding himself that his _handler _didn't mean any harm. "Whatever. I'm just doing what my dad always-"

Whatever he had been about to say suddenly froze inside his throat.

His _father_.

The entire damn reason he had come to the city in the first place, and Shinji had completely forgotten about him. Though perhaps he could be excused somewhat, seeing as how his first day in Tokyo-3 had been interrupted by the unwanted arrival of ghouls. Still, now that the topic had suddenly intruded back into his waking mind, the first thing on his list of things to do was to gather information on the man. If the situation was as he expected it was, then he'd be meeting his father soon enough, though it never hurt to be prepared.

And it seemed like Kaji was as good a starting point as any.

"Hey, this might be a bit of a strange question," he began, carefully observing Kaji's expression, "but do you know anybody by the name of Rokubungi Gendo?" As an after thought, he added, "I think he's the one who sent for me."

When his _handler _gave him a look of confusion, Shinji knew he had already hit a dead end. "Rokubungi Gendo? Is that a relative of yours?"

"My father."

"Your old man, huh?" Kaji cupped his chin in contemplation before seemingly drawing a blank. "Sorry kid, but the name isn't ringing any bells."

Gripping the bed sheets in his hands, Shinji forced his next words through teeth that were barely resisting the urge to grind. "That's okay."

He had expected this. Logically, the chances of the first person he asked having answers for him were slim to none. Yet he couldn't help the feeling of disappointment he felt. The only reason Shinji had traveled to Tokyo-3 in the first place was to confirm if his father was still alive. And that was just going off of the vague hints his guardian dropped about his dad possibly still being in the employ of Nerv. Realistically speaking, his father was probably dead in a ditch somewhere. He most likely would never find him, no matter how hard he tried. He was destined to-

_Stop that. Keep thinking like that and you'll go back to being depressed again. _Shinji took a deep breath, then exhaled. "So," it was obvious that he was trying to change the subject, but he frankly didn't care, and thankfully neither did Kaji judging from his knowing expression, "what was that about you being my handler?"

"Well, I'm guessing you've heard about Tokyo-3's ghoul problem?"

Somehow the urge to snort never crossed the college student's mind. "Yeah." The image of a monster wearing a bloodied burlap cloak and a plague mask came unbidden into his head. "Yeah, you could say that."

Kaji clicked his tongue. "Well, what with the city quite the dangerous place at the moment, Nerv is a little concerned over the well-being of their..." their was a pause as the man contemplated an appropriate word to use, "... assets."

Being referred to as an asset aside, he was somewhat confused as to why he needed a _handler _of all things. "So then, you work for Nerv?"

A knowing smile stretched across the older man's face, and not long after a chuckle was heard. "I suppose that's one way of putting it." Kaji stood up and stretched, idly grabbing the ash tray and dumping the contents into the nearest trash bin. "Anyway, we're gonna have to put this conversation on hold. I was supposed to take you to the Black Room as soon as you woke up." He crouched behind the rest chair to pick something up, and when he came back up there was a linen bag filled with something, which he proceeded to toss on Shinji's lap. "Here, put these on." And with that, Kaji walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"... thanks, I guess." After fiddling with the knot holding the bag shut, Shinji peered inside the sack to see a pair of nondescript jeans, a white shirt, and a light green hoodie. "Better than what I'm wearing now, I guess.

After carefully removing the various tubes from his body and changing into his new clothes, the college student stepped out into the hall and followed his handler.

As he walked through the halls of the medical qing of Nerv alongside his _handler, _Shinji felt a sense of unease creep along his spine. Maybe it was the way the halls were completely constructed out of steel, and poorly lit by a few dangling lights every twenty meters. Perhaps what unnerved him was the absence of any kind of windows, or how the corridor itself seemed to stretch on forever no matter how far the two walked. Then again, it could have been just the way the new clothes itched. "So, why are you taking me to the Black Room?" _And for that matter, what the hell_ is_ a Black Room?_

"Someone that's been wanting to meet you is waiting there," Kaji replied bluntly.

The two walked on in silence for a time. Shinji thought about making light conversation more than once, but the desolate atmosphere of the place convinced him otherwise. Finally, they arrived in front of what appeared to be an elevator. Before they entered, the college student took one last look down the seemingly never-ending corridor.

"This place is huge," the boy remarked, just as the elevator rumbled to life. "Where are we in the city?"

"Technically, we're not in the city limits. This entire base is underground." As Kaji reached into his pocket for another cigarette, he caught the look of disbelief upon his charge's face. "Don't give me that look, you'll see for yourself."

The elevator descended for what seemed like an eternity, and suddenly it seemed that Kaji's statement about being underground might not have been untrue. There was no music, only the dull hum of the lift, and Kaji fiddling with a cheap lighter in his left hand. Then they stopped.

As the doors slid open, Shinji could practically _feel_ Kaji smiling. "Holy-!"

If there was one word to describe what he saw, that word would undoubtedly be_ humongous_. If a secondary word was required, it would have to be _underground_, just as Kaji had claimed.

A series of interconnected walkways and stairs suspended them in the middle of a gaping cavern, the elevator shaft reaching impossibly upwards. Though by nature caverns could usually be described as dark, the cavern they were in exuded a warm light from the very walls. Giant stalactites hung from the ceiling, cables and ropes of light bulbs hanging between them. As Shinji leaned against the walkway, he peered down below, and spotted a lake - and a huge one at that - taking up space on the ground level alongside a forest of trees. But the most eye-catching thing was the pyramid sitting at the far right of the lake, constructed in the same fashion of the Egyptians of old.

All in all, the sight was unbelievable.

"This is amazing!" An understatement if ever there was one. But the words nonetheless managed to successfully convey Shinji's sense of awe. "It's like an underground city!"

He heard a noise of agreement come from behind him, and shortly thereafter Kaji joined him in leaning on the metal railings. "It's minuscule compared to Tokyo-3 above us, but I guess when you take the underground part into consideration it becomes a whole lot more impressive. This is the headquarters of Nerv." This time, he looked directly at the awed Shinji. "We call it the Geofront."

"Nerv built this?"

Kaji nodded in the positive. "And they're the only ones with access to the place. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure you're the only non-personnel we've had here. Speaking of which, this is yours." The man pulled out an orange envelope from his pocket and handed it to his charge.

Tearing the paper open, Shinji was surprised at the plastic card with his photo and information on it, the Nerv emblem stamped on the upper left corner. "An ID card?" The photo itself he didn't remember taking, but the info was up-to-date. All in all it was a standard employee ID card-

"Wait." Alarm bells started to ring in his head. "I'm not employed with-"

"Under certain technicalities, you are," Kaji interrupted as he began to walk away. A cloud of smoke burst from his mouth as he exhaled. "But don't worry, the cards' just so you can get in and out of the base. You don't have any obligation to Nerv."

Implications aside, Shinji followed the man, taking great care not to stare down and see just how high up they were in the air.

* * *

Taking a couple of lifts down into the pyramid they had seen earlier, they hopped off and made their way into the imposing structure. Part of Shinji wondered why anyone would need as much space as there was in the Geofront, but the other part of his brain was more concerned with just how surreal the situation was.

The interior of the pyramid was, for lack of a better word, _futuristic_. The hallways were lined in what seemed like polished steel, and elevators ran up and down in glass tubes. Every doorway they came across was only accessible by fingerprint and retina scanner. The people they came across as well, were all dressed in a uniform that seemed more at home in a high-tech laboratory than a PMC, being made of what seemed like a flexible black material with bits and pieces of what seemed like armor, along with a red core-like sphere that sat comfortably in the middle of their chests-

_Wait a second_. A sudden thought made it's way into Shinji's head. _I think I've seen these uniforms before_-

"Alright, we're here."

His attention was brought to a plain black door sitting innocently between two potted plants. Unlike the others, this door was decorated with a brass doorknob. Compared to the rest what he'd seen, it seemed out of place.

Kaji stretched out his hand and knocked. Paused. Knocked three times, then knocked twice more. There was a _hss_, and the door opened to the appearance of a giant of a man in full combat gear, an intimidating-looking rifle held firmly in his hands. The armored man took one look at the pair of them - his eyes lingering a moment longer on Shinji - before nodding and stepping to the side, gesturing with the rifle to come in.

Much more nervous than he was a minute ago, Shinji looked to Kaji, who seemed nonplussed at the other man's mannerisms. Instead, Kaji let out a sigh and turned to face him. "Now, I'm assuming I don't have to give you a crash course on etiquette?"

The seeming left-field nature of the question stunned him, though he recovered. "I think I'll be fine, thanks." A glance was spared towards the rifle.

"Neat. Just remember to show respect and you'll be fine." Kaji leaned on the wall, idly checking on his pocket watch and taking another drag of his cancer stick. "I'll be out here when you're done."

Taking that as his cue, Shinji stared apprehensively at the guard one last time before entering.

"Oh, and kid?" Kaji's voice sounded out from the hall, a note of something resembling worry in his tone. "A word to the wise. You're gonna hear... some unpleasant things in there." There was a pause. "Just remember, you have the right to walk out at any time." There was something significant being said, though Shinji couldn't quite put his finger around it. "You have a choice, no matter what they tell you." The sound of a lighter being lit could be heard, before the guard closed the door, and there was only silence.

"...thanks," Shinji let out, though the guard didn't acknowledge that he had heard. Instead, he was ushered towards another door, before it too opened and he was nudged into the new room. Shinji only barely registered the door shutting behind him.

_Huh. That's why it's called the Black Room._

It was like staring out into the mouth of a cave. Infinitely dark, yet enough light was let into the room from the windows that you wouldn't stumble through the darkness. A solitary desk stood at the end of the room, overlooking the view of the rest of the Geofront. It was eery, in the weirdest sort of way.

There was a man, with weathered features and a kind smile, kneeling on the floor seiza position in front of a _shogi_ board. Unlike the other employees Shinji had passed in the hall, this man wore a plain brown suit, with a sort of glass jewel where the collar was. The picture was so odd that Shinji didn't recognize the other man's presence until the man cleared out his throat. "Oh, you're here." The older man made a gesture with his hand, an invitation if there ever was one.

Being the polite person he was, Shinji hurriedly made his way to the side of the shogi board, where the man seemed to be engaged in a tense battle with himself. The elder smiled at him. "You'll have to excuse me, I didn't think you'd wake up so soon." He moved one of the wooden pieces with a fluid motion of his hand. "Do you play _shogi_?"

"No, I don't," he replied bluntly. "I'm more of a_ go_ person myself..."

"Fuyutsuki Kozou," the man introduced himself. He took the time to carefully select another piece and place it off of the board before letting out a small sigh. "Well now, that's a shame. An old man like me, shogi and chess are the only two games I'm still good at."

Fuyutsuki's mannerisms reminded Shinji of the way his guardian get whenever something wasn't bothering him. Calm, relaxed, almost grandfatherly in a way. It threw him off guard, to see someone like this in the depths of a PMC's headquarters. Was this the person who had wanted to see him? There was still hope in Shinji that maybe his father was somewhere in Nerv, but this man was too old to be Rokubungi Gendo. "I don't mean to be rude...""

"No, I suppose you are not," Fuyustuki interrupted him. He chuckled in mirth before standing up and directly facing Shinji. "Though the fact remains you evidently don't have much patience for an old man's ramblings."

Though Fuyutsuki delivered the line with a smile upon his face, Shinji took to it as having offended the older man, but before he could get out his apologies, the sound of a door opening and the _click-clack_\- of heels upon the floor distracted him.

"Oh, stop teasing him, professor. It's not very gentlemanly of you." A woman had entered the room, with a large number of manila folders tucked under her arm. She wore a lab coat over a beige blouse and a black skirt, with a pair of red stilettos. A mop of brown hair framed her delicate features, along with a grin that reached all the way to her blue eyes. Sauntering past the two men, she dropped the folders onto the desk before placing herself on the chair behind it. She folded her hands in a bridge and rested her chin atop it, all the while sending Shinji an appraising look. Finally, after what seemed like hours: "Well, you're taller than I thought you would be."

To say he was caught off-guard would be putting it lightly. "Uh, thank you, I think." It suddenly clicked that this was the person who had wanted to see him, and that this foreboding place was actually her office. Shinji inexplicably felt the urge to gulp.

Whatever uncomfortable feelings Shinji might have had were promptly ignored by the woman. "And so polite. Whoever raised you did an excellent job."

Whether the complement was meant to be taken seriously or not was put on the back burner when the woman gestured for him to come closer. As Shinji stood at the head of the desk, the woman's scrutinizing eyes appeared to look almost _through_ him. After a few awkward moments, she looked sated. "Now, I'm sure you have quite the number of questions, so let's just jump to it. My name is Ikari Yui," she explained, adding a bit of flare to the pronunciation, "co-founder and present Commander of Nerv."

So this woman was in charge of Nerv? If Shinji were to be honest, he thought she looked like she belonged in a laboratory rather than running a PMC. The thought that maybe he was being tricked occurred to him, but if it was a prank, it was a pretty pointless one. Still, if she was to be believed, then he had one Ikari Yui to thank for being willing to put him through college. Though, that too was one of the many questions that he was intending to get answers to-

"I'm also your mother."

There was a silence wherein neither Shinji, Yui, or Fuyutsuki moved.

"... excuse me?"

_... what... what... what?!_

Distress was clearly evident on Shinji's face. _What did she just say?!_

"I remember the day you were born," Yui reminisced, drawing circles on the desk's surface with her finger. "It was just a few days after Second Impact, and your father and I were in a hospital in Old Tokyo, before it was wiped off the map. They were short on staff that day, most of the nurses were busy with the earthquake victims, so your birth wasn't as smooth as we had hoped." She chuckled at the memory, a smile on her face and the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "But in the end, you were born perfectly healthy-"

"I'm sorry," Shinji began, slowly backing away from the Commander and towards the door he had came from, "but I think you're mistaken." _Like, way WAY mistaken._ He had to get out. Shinji wasn't sure why, but there was a pounding in his chest that got louder and louder with each second, before he realized that it was his own heart. "My mother was killed during Second Impact. My father-"

"Was named Rokubungi Gendo," Yui finished, her smile gone and a look of consternation setting upon her features. "He and I met in college. He ended up proposing to me seven months later, and shortly thereafter we had you."

"No, this... this doesn't make any sense." He had seen the grave, had read the speech his father had carefully written and spoke at his mother's funeral. For the longest time, he had never known what his mother had looked like. He could barely recall what his father looked like, and the only reason he never forgot was due to the photo of the man that had been left with Shinji. But of the few things he remembered his father saying, and his guardian thereby reinforcing, was that his mother was, without a doubt, dead. And yet here this woman was, claiming to be the very same person who was supposed to be buried along the coastline of Nagasaki. "My father told me you-" he almost cursed at the slip up, "_she _was dead."

"The man that raised you, Tokiwara Yamatsu." This time, it was Fuyutsuki who spoke up, idly gathering the pieces of his _shogi_ set and putting them into a weathered wooden box. "How long have you been in his care?"

"Since I was four- wait." He looked directly into the older man's eyes. "How do you know about Teacher?"

Yui answered him. Or rather, deliberately ignored the question. "I won't pretend it was easy, but years after your father took you from me I was able to locate you." She fingered one of the folders on her desk, thumbing through the pages before finding what she was looking for. "A month ago, to be precise."

One of his supposed 'mothers' statements piqued his curiosity. "After father _took_ me from you?" The situation was getting more complicated, if it could be taken seriously at all. "What are you trying to say?"

A moment passed, and in that space of time Yui sent a look at Fuyutsuki, who responded with a sigh, before clearing his throat, drawing Shinji's attention. "Rokubungi-san, where is your father?"

The suddenness of the question caught him unawares. "... I- I don't know." _If anyone knows where father is at, shouldn't you people?_ "I haven't seen him since I was a kid."

Another moment passed, Yui and Fuyutsuki silently communicating as before. His 'mother' looked long and hard into his eyes, searching for any weakness or the smallest hint of a lie. "And you have no idea where he might have gone?" She actually leaned forward to get a better look at him. "At all?"

The atmosphere in the office had changed. Whereas before it was characterized by bewilderment and disbelief, it had suddenly turned into an investigation. As he stared back into Yui's vivid blue eyes, Shinji saw something there that frightened him. Something _familiar_. "No."

And just like a switch had been thrown, her smile was back in place.

"Well, that _is_ a shame," Yui drawled out. "But then, your father always was running off to some new place." And they were back to this issue. The issue of whether or not this strange and frightening woman was truly his mother. "Evidently, Yui spotted his disbelief. "Oh? Still not convinced? I can see it in your eyes."

If there was going to be a time to speak aloud his opinion, now was it. "Not to be rude," Shinji started, "but, this seems like something out of a bad soap opera. And how would I know that you're _really _my mom?"

"Well if your belief isn't so easily gained, I could easily arrange for tests to be taken in order to prove my claim." The way she spoke, with absolute confidence, half-convinced Shinji right then and there that she was telling the truth. Almost. "Putting all that aside, there's still the matter we haven't talked of yet."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "And that matter is...?"

"The attempt on your life two weeks ago."

_The attempt on my- oh. Oh, shit._ He had completely forgotten. It had been nagging in the back of his head, ever since he woke up in the hospital bed with Kaji watching over him. He had been attacked, that much he remembered. But it hadn't really dawned on him the importance of who attacked him. _Ghouls. I was being chased by ghouls and one of them was about to kill me_. The realization was akin to being splashed with a bucket of ice water. And also... he had been out for two weeks? "I was out for two- hold on." Another dreadful thought burst into his head. _I... I wasn't alone. There was someone with me, wasn't there?_ He struggled to come up with a name, but when he drew a blank he looked desperately at Yui. "There was a woman with me, when we were being chased by ghouls. Her name... was-"

"Katsuragi Misato," Yui answered for him. She took the time to cross her legs behind her desk before continuing. "If you're worried about her well-being, she's perfectly fine. I sent her to protect you, but against that many ghouls even Special Investigators would have their hands full." She beamed at Shinji, an expression that looked fake, though he couldn't fathom why. "You should thank her when next you two meet. She managed to make it to your side and call in our medical squad before we could lose you."

So there was one mystery solved. _Okay, let me put this together. Katsuragi-san picked me up from the train station. We were ambushed by ghouls. We got separated, and she told me to head to some kind of safehouse, but a ghoul had already gotten there before me. He tossed me around like a ragdoll for a bit, _at this, Shinji idly rubbed his neck,_ and then... and then..._

He turned towards Yui. "I was going to ask this, but... what exactly _did_ happen to me?"

"You were squished." A distasteful look was on Yui's face as she bluntly stated the truth. "Like a bug. By two tons of steel." The woman let out a huff in annoyance. "If that ghoul hadn't practically been standing over you when those I-beams fell, I'd imagine you wouldn't be standing before us."

"Yeah. Kaji-san told me the extent of my injuries. There were..." What was a delicate way to put it? "... a lot."

"If we had taken you to a normal hospital, there's no doubt you would have died," Yui casually stated. It occurred to Shinji that even though the possibility existed this woman could be lying about being his mother, that didn't change the fact that she had quite literally saved his life. Dragged him back from the dead even, if Kaji was to be believed. "Nerv has access to advanced medical technology sanctioned by the UN after all."

"I... I don't know how to thank you." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He had just accused her of lying not too long ago, and now he was thanking her for saving his life. He really _didn't_ know how to thank her.

In reply, Yui simply smiled, a gesture so warm and full of what he could only describe as _love_. "I don't need thanks. I certainly wasn't going to allow my son to die."

The subject was brought up again, and with it Shinji's embarrassment. How could he deny that she was his mother, after everything she'd done to keep him alive? _How do you apologize for that?_

Sensing his discomfort, Yui decided to thankfully change the subject. "But I can tell that that is still something you'd rather not talk of. That's fine for now." Again she smiled, as though remembering a fond memory. "So instead, we'll talk about your living arrangements. Agent Kaji may have already told you, but you are a Nerv employee due to the contract you signed accepting our scholarship." She took another folder out of the stack next to her and began to flip through the pages. "Now while you don't have to actively work for the betterment of the company, we still have to take care of you. Agent Kaji, your handler, will make sure that anything you need is taken care of." She stopped on a certain page, and she carefully pulled something out of a paper pocket before handing it to Shinji, who was surprised at the sight of a freshly cut key. "He will be living across the hall from you and your roommate, so you can always find him."

"Agent Katsuragi on the other hand, is both your chauffeur and your bodyguard. While you won't be going out after dark for obvious reasons," Yui stared pointedly at him, and Shinji felt as though innocently looking to the side would do him no good, "there are other threats that you may need to be shielded from."

"This seems like a lot of work for just one person."

The woman scoffed. "I haven't seen my son for eighteen years. I think a little nepotism on my part can be overlooked." She stood up and walked to his side, grasping his arm in hers. Shinji found he couldn't pull away, not that he wanted to. As she led him towards the door, past a grinning Fuyutsuki, she continued speaking. "That's everything important for now, we can discuss the finer points later. I'm sure you're exhausted."

It took a moment before Yui's words registered in his mind. "Actually, I feel pretty restless." Now that he was aware of the fact he was out for a week, he realized that the feeling in his legs wasn't that of soreness, but of atrophy. "I was gonna go and stretch my legs."

If Yui wasn't expecting that response, she didn't show it. "But of course. Just take the elevator up to the surface lobby and go explore the city. Your ID doubles as a credit card, by the way, so don't be afraid to buy whatever strikes your fancy." She opened the office door, where the guard with the rifle nodded genially at her.

"We probably don't have to say this," Fuyutsuki said from behind him, "but don't tell anyone about the Geofront." He was walking over to the side of the desk, and he stood there like a sentinel. "We don't want the public aware of just how much... _space_, that Nerv has at it's disposal."

He was still half-dazed by all that they had talked about, but eventually Shinji found his voice. "Well then, l'll be going now," he said weakly, still confused as to what he was supposed to think. As he was ushered out of the office, Yui took the time to ask him one last thing.

"Oh, and tell Agent Kaji to come in? We have to speak to him."

* * *

"That was touching," Fuyutsuki mockingly stated. "You haven't seemed so cheerful in ages, Yui."

The smile that had graced her face when Shinji was in the room had faded, leaving only the blank expression that had become the norm over the years. "I had no reason to be so, Fuytsuki. Our line of work calls for a grim demeanor." She strode to her desk, coolly taking her seat and bridging her hands. "What did you think?"

"About my godson?" The vice commander placed the wooden box of shogi pieces onto the surface of the desk. "He's grown into a fine young man. Though, we're still no closer to locating Gendo." _And for Shinji's sake, I hope you never do._

"That was only a secondary objective. My son is here, and that's all that matters." Yui took a barely audible breath and closed her eyes. "We can proceed with the scenario."

Fuyutsuki said nothing, electing instead to stand as a silent vigil beside his former student. Barely a minute passed before Agent Kaji entered the office, out of uniform again. He looked a tad indignant, and as Fuyutsuki glanced behead the man he saw that the guard was grinding the remains of a cigarette into the palm of his hand.

"You wanted to talk to me, Commander?"

Yui took her time to respond. When she finally opened her eyes, Fuyutsuki noticed they were devoid of any of the warmth present when her son was near. "Yes. I want both you and Katsuragi to shadow my son. He's going to explore the city," she coldly explained.

Agent Kaji apparently took exception. "Shouldn't someone be watching him?" At Yui's blank look, he continued on. "In person, I mean. When I talked to him in the hall, he seemed oddly normal for someone who's just been told he's a One-Eye."

Fuyutsuki inwardly groaned. He knew what was coming next, but that didn't make it any less difficult to swallow.

"Oh, I didn't bother to tell him that."

At first, Agent Kaji's face was blank. Then, it morphed into confusion, changed into realization, and finally settled somewhere between indignation and rage. "... _what!_"

Yui chose to ignore the man's outburst, instead reaching into a desk drawer and pulling out a small orange cylinder full of red pills. The name _Rokubungi Shinji_ was written on the side in black pen, right above the word _Periasysdopamine_. "I believe my son should figure it out for himself."

"That's- that-" Kaji sputtered.

"Also," the commander continued, not fazed in the slightest by her underling's distress, "in the likely event he finds himself at an RC checkpoint, you are not to reveal yourselves unless a CCG Investigator shows. Am I clear?"

"..."

A flash of anger briefly appeared in Yui's visage, before disappearing. She cleared her throat. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

As the handler stood there and attempted to puzzle out what his employer was telling him to do, Fuyutsuki looked directly into the man's eyes, and slowly gave a single nod of his head. _Just accept it. Now isn't the time._ For his sake, he hoped the agent got the message. When Kaji's expression softened, Fuyutsuki almost sighed in relief.

As he stared directly at the Commander of Nerv, Kaji bit out, "Transparently," before turning on a dime and marching towards the door. However, before exiting, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "By the way. The kid was asking about Ramesses earlier." He pulled out another cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. "Said the guy was his father. Know anything about that?"

In an act that disturbed even Fuyutsuki, Yui coldly _smiled_. "Only that it's above your paygrade, Agent Kaji."

The handler stood there for a while, his eyes boring into Yui's impassive ones before he turned away. "_Tch._ Right."

* * *

Taking the elevator to the surface took a surprising amount of time. It turned out the Geofront was further underground than just a few floors. And when he finally stepped out of the lift, it was into an abandoned building. Still, he took the development in stride, but when he stepped out into the streets he couldn't hold in his surprise.

There were actually _people_ in this city?

When last he had seen it - _two freakin' weeks ago _\- the place had felt abandoned, as if the city was just a gigantic metal and concrete corpse. Now the atmosphere was completely different.

There were hundreds of people crammed onto the sidewalks, forming a crowd that swayed to and fro as each individual made their way to their destinations. Men, women, children, businessmen, advertisers, mascots, cosplayers, all types of people, costumed and otherwise flooded the place. Rows upon rows of cars formed a steady barricade on the streets, moving an inch at a time in flow with traffic. Every few feet there were food vendors or people handing out flyers for various things. The entire atmosphere was overwhelming for someone who was raised in the quiet countryside, and Shinji wondered if he should head back into Nerv HQ. It was sterile and there was a slight feeling of oppression, but at least there was almost no one there.

Squashing that feeling down, he managed to somehow work his way into the crowd without being swept up in the tide. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but rub against his fellow humans, though he wasn't sure they cared of the fact as much as he did. What with this thriving Metropolis above-ground, suddenly the existence of the Geofront became much more impressive.

He managed to get onto a side street where there were much less people, and he realized he had no idea what he was doing. He had come topside to stretch his legs, but it wasn't like he knew the city, and even if he could somehow remember the streets he had went through last ni- _two weeks ago_, they looked completely different with people on them. So the question was: should he continue walking through the city until he finds something interesting? Or should he head back underground and explore the (admittedly) impressive Geofront?

_Well, I've still got some things to get out of my head_, Shinji reasoned. _I can't go back there yet_.

His - and honestly, he couldn't believe that he was already thinking of her like that, despite the evidence still being weighed - _mother_ had told him that his Nerv ID card doubled as a credit card, so he might as well get something to eat. Ramen, maybe, or yakitori. His feet brought him to a decently sized restaurant, but before he stepped inside the establishment, he remembered one important fact.

_I forgot to take my meds_. He facepalmed then and there, and passerby's stared at him.

Living with Langely's Disease was rough. Not only were the seizures that sometimes possessed a person scary as all hell, but there were a couple of other things, as well. For one thing, if the patient didn't take their RC suppressants before every meal, the food would taste like cardboard and wet sponges. At that point, only coffee and water could go down the throat. _And I didn't bother to ask for my things,_ he bemoaned. He could go back and ask for his luggage, get his pills, then come back up, but it seemed like such a massive waste of time. So instead, he elected to just visit a pharmacy.

RC suppressants were expensive, and an extremely restricted amount were made per month, so usually he couldn't afford such refills, and had to wait like everyone else tended to. But... well, the commander _had_ told him not to be afraid to splurge. He was sure she would understand.

After getting directions from the many people walking, he managed to locate one only ten minutes walk from the abandoned building the elevator was located. As he turned out of an alleyway he'd used as a shortcut, he came to an odd sight.

There was fairly large line of people on the sidewalk. Ahead of them at the front, the entire street was blocked off by road barriers. What looked like a metal detector was set up at the end, flanked by two police officers, and a white medical tent sat on the side. It was, Shinji guessed, one of the RC checkpoints that Misato had told him about when she had driven him to headquarters. _Right before we were ambushed_. With that sobering thought, he walked towards the checkpoint just a bit more quickly.

Instead of standing in line, he headed towards the officers. He needed to make sure of something. "Um, excuse me?"

One of the officers noticed him, and gave Shinji an odd look. "Can I help you?"

"Well, uh..." he started. It was always embarrassing to admit his condition. He wasn't a social pariah by any means, but whenever someone found out, there was always this _look_ in their eyes, as though he had committed some crime. "I have Langley's Disease," he almost whispered the words, "and I was afraid I might set off the alarm..."

There. That look, even now. But to the officer's credit, the look lasted just a fraction of a second, and he waved him toward the white tent. "Say no more, it's a common issue. Just check with the Doc over there."

Shinji nodded. "Thank you."

The tent was open, meaning there were three 'walls' and a roof. A middle-aged man with graying hair stood by wearing calming green scrubs, a face-mask covering what was probably meant to be a disarming smile. Shinji was told to sit in a chair, and that his eyes would have to be examined. 'Just to make sure,' the doctor had explained.

"Now, you may feel a slight irritation in your eyes," the doctor said, holding a conically-shaped flashlight and a wooden Popsicle stick in his hands, "but that's normal."

A purple-blue light flashed across his right eye, and there really was a burning sensation in Shinji's eyes. The light was held there for ten seconds before it shut off. The doctor lowered the flashlight and gave another covered-smile. "Told you, didn't I?"

Shinji rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. "Sure did."

The man gave out a chuckle. "Alright, just this one now. Would you please lift up your eyepatch?"

Unconsciously, his hands began to move in order to accommodate the doctor, but then he thought better of it. _Kaji never said whether I could remove this, did he?_ He didn't want to take the thing off and wind up with an infected eye. Reluctantly, he lowered his hand. "Actually, I don't think I'm supposed to..."

"Sorry, but it's official policy," the doctor said apologetically. "Can't let you through unless I check both eyes."

For a moment he thought about just going to check with Nerv, but decided against it. _It'll only be for a second._ "I understand." As he lifted the medical patch from his left eye, the sudden intake of cool morning air made his newly exposed eye water. "Could you please hurry? It kind of stings."

The doctor was adjusting the setting on his tool, before he looked back up at Shinji. "Well, the light isn't too harsh, so you should be-"

The doctor left the sentence hanging, instead openly gawking at Shinji. Suddenly, the man backpedaled, tripping over a small canister with a _crash!_ Still, this didn't stop, as he even dragged himself further away. Shinji stood up and tried to help the startled man to his feet, but the doctor only scooted back further, whimpering sounds coming from his throat. "What's wrong?" Shinji asked in a panic. _Is this guy okay?_

"G-g-gh-g-" It looked like the doctor was choking or something, because the sound he made was repeated over and over.

"Hey, are you okay?" From the corner of his eyes, Shinji saw that the officer that had waved him over was approaching. "You look like you just saw-"

"GHOUL! IT'S A GHOUL!" The doctor was hysterical now, ripping his face mask off and pointing accusingly at him.

There was silence. And then there was chaos.

The people in the line, who had looked so bored before, began screaming in a symphony of panic. They all ran away from the checkpoint, desperate to get away from something. Both of the officers were near the tent now, and for a moment Shinji thought they would restore order. He was proven wrong, however, when both unstrapped their pistols and aimed _right at him_, the same panicked expression as the doctor's plastered across their faces.

"What the hell are you two waiting for?!" the doctor hollered, his eyes wide with fear. Again his pudgy fingers stabbed towards Shinji. "Do your jobs and SHOOT HIM!"

A thought dawned on Shinji during the scene. And it terrified him. _They're talking about me._

With the severity of the situation making itself fully known, Shinji too went into a panic. He raised his arms high into the air to show he didn't have any weapons, and his fear only increased when the officers trained their guns on him with even more intent. "C'mon guys," he shakily bit out, fear inching into every word, "just - just put the guns dow-"

_BANG!_

The officer on the left - the barrel of his pistol was smoking. At first, Shinji didn't know why. Then, an unfamiliar sensation pierced his right shoulder. Dumbly, he looked down and saw that his shoulder was covered in something red. Almost in a trance, he touched the spot with his fingers, and felt that it was wet with something. The red was spreading along his clothes now. It was only after a few moments that Shinji realized what had just happened.

He had been shot.

_He had just been sh-_

"AAAGGGGGHH!" The numbness he had felt was gone now, turned to pain, to agony, and then to a fire whose flames grew hotter with each passing second. He clutched the wound tightly, precious crimson liquid spilling between his fingers. If he had been calm, he would have realized that the wound, while painful, was for the most part nonlethal. Unfortunately, Shinji was far, _far_ from being level-headed at the moment, and could only think of how he had been shot, the fact that a police officer had shot him, and that apparently everyone in the general vicinity had gone _stark raving mad_.

"You-" he bit out through clenched teeth, as he stared at the officer with an expression between shock and accusation. "You _shot me!_"

The other, younger officer pulled the trigger of his gun. The recoil shot his arm up into the air.

The bullet, however, just barely grazed Shinji's earlobe. It was in that moment that he knew: _they just tryed to shoot me in the head. They're trying to kill me!_

An with that thought came action.

The concept of fight-or-flight has always been a familiar one to the human species, a leftover instinct from the days they resembled apes dragging themselves through mud. Over the years, humanity has learned to suppress that instinct through methods of diplomacy, reasoning, and sometimes logic. While humans were always consistently good at killing each other in creative ways, they would always strive for a solution that called for the least amount of bloodshed. However, in some cases, there are times when the viscous creature known as _homo sapiens_ cannot be bothered, and the age old instinct comes to the forefront of the mind.

In Shinji's case, fighting was most definitely not an option.

And so he chose to take flight.

In a burst of speed that surprised even himself, he rammed his good shoulder into the older officers stomach and made a mad dash towards a nearby alleyway. He heard shouts, more gunshots, and cries of alarm from behind him, but he dared not turn back. Sprinting through the narrow space, he lost himself in a labyrinth of concrete and rubble.

He ran for who knew how long, almost tripping over bits and pieces of debris and trash. He had to ride, had to find somewhere safe. The Geofront came to mind, but he had no idea how he was supposed to find his way back after getting himself lost in the city's back ends.

There were two large dumpsters against a wall, and it was between these trash disposals that Shinji chose to hide. As he tryed (futilely) to gulp down as much air as possible without making too much noise, the sound of running footsteps could be heard. He put his hand over his mouth, stifling his breath and going absolutely silent. The footsteps came nearer and nearer, escalating his heightened sense of fear. When they reached a spot not three feet from where he was crouched in the darkness, the overwhelming instinct to one again flee made itself known. But he waited, and waited, and waited. Whoever had been following him eventually ran off in another direction, obscenities being shouted in the air to lure him out.

For another fifteen seconds he managed to stay silent, before he let go of his mouth and the panting resumed.

_Why? What the hell is going on?_ The pain in his shoulder had dulled, surprising Shinji, as he had thought the pain would linger for a while. _T__hat guy shot me, for no reason! And everybody else ran away? First the ghouls, and now this? This goddamned city!_ He felt the need to punch something, to let out his anger, but doing so would give him away, and he had no intention of doing something that stupid.

_This all started because of the doctor. What did he call me?_ A memory of the man, scrambling back in fear. _He called me a ghoul, right? Why the hell would he call me that? I'm obviously human!_ All the doctor had to do was check his eyes and sense of taste then he could go on his merry way. _Instead, he has to go nuts and sic the police on me?_ His anger at the unfairness intensified, until suddenly he remembered something crucial. _But... he didn't freak out until I took off my eye-patch... why would he do that?_

And just like that, his anger deflated, his mind instead intent on finding the answer to the question: why was he called a ghoul?

When he scrambled on his knees to crawl out from between the dumpsters, his hand brushed against something sharp. It was a broken piece of glass, probably a smaller fragment from a large mirror. And as he held it in his hand, he caught a flash of his face.

_No._

_No._

**_NO._**

_No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no_-

The sclera of his eye was pitch black, and his pupil was a sickening shade of crimson.

* * *

As Misato stood in front of two dumpsters, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the teenager hiding in between them. _Orders are orders, but did he really have to find out this way?_ While working for Nerv gave her more... _options_, when hunting down her prey, there were times she wished she had never accepted Ikari Yui's offer. This was one of those times. _To do this to your own son. Just how far are you willing to go, Commander? _When Kaji had radioed her in and told her that their charge was in trouble, running into an RC checkpoint and his status inevitably being exposed, she had rushed to find Shinji's location. Shadowing him from above the rooftops had been easy, though creating various distractions for his pursuers at the same time proved to be a harder challenge.

And now I have to coax him out and get him back to base. She inwardly sighed, before clearing her throat and making herself known. "Hell of a place to rest, Rokubungi-kun."

Shinji was silent, before he eventually recalled a memory. "Katsuragi-san...?"

He had been crying, Misato could tell that much. Though she couldn't really blame him. After all, he had just learned that he wasn't human anymore. Learning of the fact in such a brutal manner could only make his situation that much worse. "The CCG are all over place looking for you," she told him. Now it was time for the promise of safety. "It'll take some doing, but I'm pretty sure I can get you back to headquarters without being seen." It wouldn't be easy, but Kaji had assured her that he would cover them. While she trusted her former boyfriend about as far as she could throw him, Misato had to admit the man could be quite resourceful, so there were no worries on that end.

There was movement, and Shinji crawled out of the dark space. His clothes were covered with dirt and his hair was disheveled, but otherwise he was fine. Other than the gunshot wound, but...

"That man..." the teenager murmured, almost deliriously. "He called me a ghoul. And those men shot at me..."

Misato crouched down and lifted up both his shirt and hoodie. She looked for the gunshot wound, and was surprised to see that the wound was already closed up, reddened skin being the only sign of any injury. If Shinji minded the close contact, he didn't say anything. _Ritsuko said he would heal faster than the others, but this is just ridiculous_. "You're lucky they were just regular bullets," she told him. "If they had been using Q-rounds, your body wouldn't have healed so fast."

Shinji inspected his own body then, a glazed look over his face. "Not even a scar..."

"Most ghouls can regenerate damaged tissue at a rapid rate. Though it takes longer than ten minutes," she informed him, though she bit her lower lip. The wound had closed _too_ fast, the bullet probably still lodged inside his flesh. There was no danger of infection, not for his kind, but she knew from personal experience that having a piece of metal stuck inside your shoulder wasn't the best feeling in the world. "We'll have to dig out the bullet, but otherwise it's actually kind of impress-"

"Don't call me that!" he yelled, violently shoving her hand aside. He was hyperventilating now, the breaths coming short and frenzied. "I... I'm a human, not a ghoul. I know I am!"

_So he hasn't fully accepted it yet. I knew it wouldn't be that easy_. Misato frowned. "Shinji-kun, I need you to calm down."

"Screw that!" He scrambled to his feet, tears in his angry eyes and pointing accusingly at her. "It was Nerv, wasn't it? You guys did something to me, you messed with my body while I was out!"

While he wasn't wrong, Misato knew better than to tell him so. "Calm down-"

"Damnit," he yelled, "what the hell have you people done to me?!"

Her radio buzzed to life in that moment. _"Cross, this is Atlantic. You've got a squad of CCG investigators coming your way."_ There was static on the other end of the radio, and the sound of metal hitting concrete. _"I can distract them for now, but you need to secure Centipede and haul ass back to base!"_ Kaji's voice faded, and the radio died down.

_Dammit, I don't have time for this._ "Shinji-kun." The teen's attention was back on her, but he looked like he might bolt at any second. She needed to get him to HQ, but she would prefer if he came willingly rather than be dragged there. "The CCG will be here any minute. If they find you, they will kill you." That got him good and scared by the expression on his face. "And if they don't kill you, which is unlikely, you'll be sent to Colchea, the ghoul holding prison, and be left to rot there for the rest of your life." Misato held out her hand , a small smile on her face. _Be the guardian angel. Be his savior._ "But if you come back with me to HQ, I promise you'll get the answers you want."

In the span of two seconds, Shinji made his decision. "Fine." He grasped her offered hand and shook it. "It's not like I have a choice," he begrudgingly added.

_And now for the hard part. I'm really starting to hate the Commander right now._ Still smiling, Misato reached into the fur-lined jacket she was wearing and pulled out a package wrapped in butcher paper and plastic-wrap. "Before we go, we need to take care of something."

Shinji reached out for the package, a look of confusion on his face. "What's this?"

"Food," Misato bit out through gritted teeth. "You'll have to eat it on the way."

With trembling hands, Shinji tentatively unfolded the butcher paper. When he saw what was inside, he threw it across the alleyway and rushed back towards the dumpster and vomited his stomach out.

Inside the bag had been a human arm. And Shinji had found himself drooling over it.

In the end, Misato ended up dragging him back to the Geofront, though he didn't struggle the entire time.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview**

* * *

_"You're not actually expecting an apology, are you?"_

_"I'll be in your care now, Rokubungi-san."_

_"The ghoul that tried to kill you? Yeah, he's still alive."_

_"Tell me, what do you know of Angels?"_

**3 - [ Overclocked ] - 3**


	4. Draining

**AN:** _Super random fun fact time! Last chapter, the story hit an even 25,000 words! And that was without me even trying! Now, as much as I'd like to keep an even word count, I'm not gonna go out of my way to do it. That would be silly... right? Right. Right?_

_Without further ado: __Read, review, eat pineapples, enjoy, and get'cha some edumacation! Not necessarily in that order._

* * *

**The World Unraveled**

**3 - [ Draining ] - 3**

* * *

_"Daddy? Where are you going?" __A much younger Shinji stared up at his father, a ragged teddy bear tucked under his arm. His father Gendo stood in the doorway of his room, a metal briefcase held tightly in his hands. His father had become more rugged lately, his eyes becoming tired,and if Shinji looked closely enough the beginnings of a beard were visible. _

_There was a moment as the father considered the son, before Gendo knelt down and ruffled the boy's hair, a smile grazing his face. __"Don't worry, Shinji-kun," he said in a reassuring voice. "Your old mans' just going out to visit an old friend."_

_Shinji looked inquisitively into his father's eyes. "When are you coming back?"_

_A flash of _something_ flickered across his father's face, but Shinji was sure he imagined it. "Soon. Don't worry bud, I'll be back before you know it." Gendo playfully ruffled his son's hair, the action causing Shinji to futilely attempt to shove the man's arm away. He knelt on the floor with his good knee, and held out his hand, pinky extended. "Promise me you'll be good for Yamatsu-san?"_

_It was the ultimate challenge a father could issue a son._

_The young boy hooked his own pinky with Gendo's enthusiastically shaking it, all the while a bright smile played out on his face. "Fine, but once you get back we're going out for ice cream!" And before his father could object, Shinji let go of his hand and sped off towards his new room. __He passed father's friend, a man about the same age as father who had introduced himself as Tokiwara Yamatsu, who halfheartedly warned him against running indoors. It was only as he was about to open his room door that he heard harsh whispers coming from the living room. _

_The curious nature of a child, coupled with the desire to know where his father was going, were what prompted Shinji to sneak back as quietly as he could back towards the living room._

_"... are questions I need answers to, and only _he_ has them." He didn't recognize the voice at first. Gendo's voice was uncharacteristically cold, a far cry from the gentle tone used around Shinji. "If Seele comes after me, I need to know Shinji will be looked after."_

_"And Yui?" he heard Yamatsu ask, a hint of trepidation in his voice. "What if she finds him?"_

_There was a pause, before Gendo answered. "To be honest, he's probably safer with her."_

_"... probably?" __There was an uncomfortable silence between the men, and Shinji thought for a split-second the two adults had noticed his presence. It was only when his father continued talking that he let out a breath he'd been unaware he was holding._

_"I don't know where she stands," his father answered. "I love her, but not enough to go through with what Lorenz is proposing." There was the sound of clicking, no doubt from the shoes his father wore against the wood-paneled ground. __"You make sure to take care of my son, yeah? And... don't tell him his father is-"_

* * *

"_...hey, you alright kid?_"

He didn't register the voice. Nor the fact that there were two people standing in front of him. What were their names, again? _Ah, but that doesn't matter_. Then what did matter? _I'm a ghoul. I think that takes priority at the moment_.

He wasn't in shock. No, Shinji had already moved passed that. He had similarly gone through denial, though he had opted to skip the acceptance phase. Bargaining? He was pretty sure that whatever god might exist was laughing at his expense, so that option was out. As it was, he was hovering somewhere in that grey void known as depression. Not a very fun place to be, it sure hadn't been when he was a kid, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter.

Coping with the fact he was now apparently a ghoul, for lack of a better word, sucked. And it was even worse, considering that there probably wasn't even a ten-step list for him to follow this time.

"_... good luck with that. He's been quiet ever since we got..._"

Just how the hell did you cope with something like that in the first place? And for that matter, _why_ was he a ghoul, and why didn't the two people in front of him care about that?

Nothing made sense. He should have just listened to Yamatsu-sensei. He should never have came to this city. There were other places to go to college, other cities that were probably just as viable as Tokyo-3. But did he listen? No, no he did not. And because he hadn't listened, he was now sitting on the floor in some room while two people he barely knew decided his fate, all of which was taking place in a giant underground complex that belonged to a private military contractor and God did all of that sound so damn crazy and that wasn't even counting the fact that apparently he was now a _god damn **ghoul**_.

For a while, Shinji found himself going around in circles, unable to decide whether to be mad or confused by his situation. He decided he would rather be angry, but that just left him with unanswered questions, which left him confused since he hadn't the slightest clue how to go about answering them, and then he got mad at the fact he had to ask himself such questions in the first place. On and on his thoughts went, a vicious cycle.

"... _think I've got an idea._"

Maybe it was all a big joke? He clung to the thought, absurd as it was, in a futile attempt to subvert reality. He wasn't really a ghoul. No, he was Rokubungi Shinji, and Rokubungi Shinji was human, of that he was positive. He hadn't just been shot. It was the summer heat making his Langley's Disease act up. He hadn't been chased through an alley. Someone was probably in a hurry and just happened to take the same route he had in his delirious state. He hadn't seen his left eye black and red. The alley was dark, he just saw something that-

"OW!" The hand came faster than Shinji could block it, and before he knew it he was rubbing the angry red mark that stood out flush with his cheek. He glared up at a frowning Misato. "What the hell was what that for?!" _Did she honestly just slap me?!_

They were in some kind of locker room in the underground Nerv HQ. Shinji tried to remember just exactly when they'd arrived, but found himself drawing a blank. In retrospect, he probably should have paid attention. Misato had practically thrown him over her shoulder in her haste to get him back underground, with Kaji joining them shortly afterwards, his clothes suspiciously ruffled and what smelled like sulfur lingering about him.

"Look," the woman began, "I understand that you may be angry at us. Hell, I wouldn't blame you if you were angry at the whole world. You wouldn't be in the wrong. But sitting there and moping about it isn't gonna do anything, and it certainly isn't helping us." Misato took the time to brush a stray strand of purple hair behind her ear before giving him a sympathetic look. "You do understand we want to help, right?"

Her expression was so sincere that Shinji almost forgot the fact that this was the same woman who expected him to eat a human arm on the way to the Geofront. So he settled for looking to the side and avoiding Misato's gaze altogether. "The hell you do," he bitterly whispered. "You people turned me into a monster."

"That we did," agreed Kaji, leaning against the wall and toying with an unlit cigarette. "I won't deny that."

The former CCG investigator looked at her ex-boyfriend. "Kaji..."

Deciding to pocket the cancer stick, he walked up to Shinji, his shadow falling over the human-ghoul hybrid. "Now do you want to know _why?_" He asked, hoping that would get a rise out of the kid. When Shinji continued to sulk, he continued on. "There is a reason we did what we did, and I assure you it's a damn good one."

For a while, Shinji ignored the man's words. However, it soon dawned on him that sitting on the floor wasn't going to do him any good, just as Misato had said. So, if there was any chance of shedding some light on his situation...

The young man looked up at his handler. "Why should I trust you?"

"Frankly kid, you don't have much of a choice at the moment," Kaji bluntly stated. "People have seen your face, which means the CCG knows what you look like. And if they know what you look like, it won't be long before they figure out who you are." He made to sit down next to Shinji, and once he settled down he let out a sigh. "Once that happens, everyone you've ever known or talked to will be informed of your 'condition.' So even if we let you into the wild," he turned to address his charge directly, "which we won't, you'd be caught sooner than you can blink." A lighter was brought from his pocket, along with the cigarette he had been fiddling with earlier. The spark was lit, and smoke filled the room. "And that isn't exactly in either of our interests."

"Fine." As the smoke drifted downwind, Shinji noted that it smelled almost like honey. Which was odd, considering how he'd always hated the acrid smell of smoke. "I'll listen to you.

Kaji nodded in response. "Good." He turned to the female in the room. "Misato, could you get Akagi up here?" The name was said with a grimace, and it showed at the slight scowl on the agent's face. "The sooner she debriefs him the sooner I can get him settled."

Misato, on the other hand, looked absolutely mollified. "You want _Akagi_ to brief him?"

"Isn't she _your_ friend?"

"Yeah, but..." the former investigator began, "...that doesn't mean I think she can handle this delicately."

Kaji scoffed. "The option of _delicacy_ was thrown out the window the second we let him go topside by himself." He idly offered his cigarette to Shinji, who robotically lifted his hand to accept it, before thinking better of it and drawing back. Kaji just shrugged his shoulders and put it back in between his lips. "And besides, she's the one who handled the surgery, right? So she should be the one to explain."

Misato stood in front of the two of them before sighing. "Right. I'll go get her." She made her exit from the room, the soft swish of the automatic door accompanying her.

They stayed like that for a while, just sitting on the floor. Shinji, for his part, found that he was no longer mad at the situation. No, instead, he was only drowning in his anticipation. Upon reflection, he realized that he had never been so uncooperative in his entire life. Inevitably, he started worrying that he might have been too impolite, until he remembered, yet again, the fact that he had been turned into a carnivorous/cannibalistic monster. _It's like something out of a horror manga. No, even worse, because at least in manga you know it's not real. _He started cracking his fingers, waiting for the person who would give him answers. _How am I gonna explain this to Yamatsu-sensei? 'Sorry I haven't talked to you in so long, I've been busy eating people?' Yeah, right. _

"For the record," Kaji suddenly blurted out, "I know how much this must suck."

Shinji gave the man a pointed look.

"Okay, maybe not _exactly_," the handler admitted with a sheepish look, "but I'm willing to bet I can imagine." There was a moment where he paused to consider something before continuing. "Most of the people who work for Nerv weren't in the best sorts when they signed up. Back when the aftershocks of Second Impact could still be felt, Nerv was a big deal. We were more a proper army then we are now. The rest of the UN was afraid of us, the whole of Japan was in our debt." He offered Shinji a roguish smile. "Basically, we were the badasses of the world." The smile fell, and a morose look crossed Kaji's eyes. "Emphasis on _were_. Now we're nothing more than glorified civilians with fancy toys. Most of the organizations funding goes into R&amp;D, and now we're even lapdogs to the CCG. Everyone that joins up knows that we'll eventually be used as cannon fodder for the ghouls."

This puzzled Shinji. "Then why would anyone join up?"

"Because of a paycheck?" Kaji said, the words sounding more like a question than an answer. "Personally, the reason I joined... well, I was basically strong-armed into this gig. You ask anyone else that works here, they'll tell you a similar story." A grimace crossed the man's face. "Some of which are just as bad as what's happening to you."

"Oh yeah?" The words weren't meant to be biting, but they sounding especially vindictive considering Shinji's usual polite demeanor. "Did you change _their_ species too?"

"Oh, don't be a dick," Kaji said. "Look, what I'm trying to say, is that if you need to talk to somebody about this, don't hesitate to tell me." The Nerv handler scratched his chin, as though deep in thought, before crushing his cigarette into the pristine floor. "You don't have to be alone here, is all."

The half-ghoul considered the man's words, before turning his head and staring at the wall in front of him. If Shinji were to be honest with himself, he was a bit appreciative at Kaji's gesture of support. Not that he would use it, of course. It was better to shoulder your own problems rather than burden anyone else with them, after all. Still, it was a nice gesture.

A few minutes passed, the silence between the two individuals oddly not awkward. Then Misato returned, along with another woman.

She had bleach blonde hair that ended just above her shoulders, and a beauty mark sat under a pair of emerald green eyes. She wore a white lab coat, similar in design to the one he had seen Yui in, and what looked like some kind of dark green diver suit underneath. Her arms were folded, and she was staring at him with a look of appraisal. When she spoke, it was with a flat voice almost devoid of any warm emotion. "First Child. It's nice to meet you again." There was a pause as she regarded him. "Well, conscious, that is."

"This is Akagi Ritsuko," Misato introduced the woman, "head of Nerv's Scientific Research Division. She-"

Ritsuko interrupted the former Special Investigator with a frosty sentence directed at Shinji. "I'm the one that turned you into a ghoul."

"So, you're the one that did this to me?" He had decided not to yell at this woman, no matter how justified he was. He needed answers, and he doubted leaping across the room and throttling her until she spit them out was a viable option.

The scientist gave him a curt nod of her head, before inspecting her fingernails. "Mm-hm." The flippant way in which she dismissed him had Shinji grinding his teeth in an effort not to lose his temper. Unfortunately, Ritsuko saw his annoyance and flashed him an infuriating smirk. "What? You're not actually expecting an apology, are you?"

"Why?" he asked. "Why did you do this to me?"

Maybe it was the note of desperation in his voice, or maybe he just didn't look all there, but for whatever reason Ritsuko turned away from him and instead addressed Misato. "He's a bit delirious," the doctor observed. "Did he eat on the way here?"

For her part, Misato just gave her 'friend' a well-placed frown. "When I asked you for something for him to eat, I was expecting something..." she looked like she was trying to find an articulate word, "...less memorable."

It was in that instant that Shinji realized what the two were talking about.

_The arm_. The appendage of a human being that had been wrapped in butcher paper like a piece of meat. The one he had been _drooling_ over. He recalled the sensations he felt when the hunk of flesh was offered to him. At first, he hadn't seen anything wrong with it. It smelled delicious, and it literally made his mouth water. The only thing he could think of in that instant was to sink his teeth into the food and devour it completely. Still, it wouldn't have been polite to just eat without thanking the woman who had gotten it for him. But the moment he took his eyes off the food, he had realized just what he had been drooling over.

After he had finished throwing up whatever had been left in his stomach (which at the time had approximately been nothing) he had let Misato drag him back to the Geofront.

The memory itself brought a bad taste to his mouth, ironically enough. He felt his opinion of Ritsuko, as low as it had started, plummet towards the bottom once he realized she was the one who had given Misato the fo- the arm.

The scientist scoffed. "It was on short notice, and that corpse wasn't going anywhere." The fact she mentioned a corpse with the same tone one would use when talking about the weather greatly unnerved Shinji. "And besides, it's not like we can feed him the same stuff as Rei. The boxes are individually packaged, made specifically for their patient. We only just got his lot fifteen minutes ago." It was then that Ritsuko acknowledged Kaji's presence. "Hey. You gonna finish that?" she asked, gesturing at the half-finished cigarette the handler was holding between two fingers.

The handler seemed to consider it, before standing up and handing her the offered smoke. "As long as you're straight with the kid, knock yourself out." As Ritsuko lit the cigarette anew, Shinji noticed that the agent failed to mention he had snuffed the end against the ground not ten minutes ago.

"I can't answer any of the important ones, if that's what you mean." She took a long drag of the cigarette, almost to the point it was reduced to a stub, before coolly exhaling a large cloud of smoke that was immediately drawn to the ceiling by the air filter. "Go ahead," she told Shinji. "Ask away."

Needless to say, there were many questions he wanted to ask, most of which would only be effective when utilizing maximum lung capacity. Still, this woman was at least making the effort to be civil with him, it was only fair that he return the gesture. So he asked her in a calm voice, "How did Nerv turn me into a ghoul?"

"I can't completely answer that." Whatever patience Shinji might have been outwardly showing evaporated in an instant. Evidently, Ritsuko noticed this, because she gave him a sympathetic look. "The best I can do is give you an abridged version of what happened."

_Not a lot to work with, but at this point I'll take what I can get._ "Okay then, _why_ did you turn me into a ghoul?"

"Let's see, how do I put this?" The scientist took a moment to think before answering. "You've been told how your organs were crushed in your accident, correct?" Ritsuko waited for Shinji to confirm this fact, and proceed when he gave her a curt nod. "Well, that was a bit of an understatement. They were basically ground to a pulp, including your heart. Agent Kaji has probably already told you this, but you were legally dead when your corpse was brought to me. Now, it wasn't like I could just plop in a new set of organs into you like a machine and start you back up again." At this, she pointedly glared at Misato's still form. "By the time they got you to me, your situation had deteriorated past that point. Fortunately, we had a kakuhou on hand. And before you ask," Ritsuko said, preemptively cutting off the words about to spill out of his mouth, "a kakuhou is an organ exclusive to ghouls. It's what generates the RC Cells in their body, as opposed to cell mutation, allowing accelerated regeneration and heightened reflexes and strength. It is also what makes up their kagune, the predatory muscle ghouls use to hunt and fight. You following me so far?"

The would-be college student gave a tentative nod. "I think so?"

"Good." Ritsuko, finished with her borrowed cigarette, flicked it into a nearby garbage can. "Now normally, the human body doesn't react well when in contact with RC Cells." she gave him that look, which caused a small amount of anger to blossom in Shinji's mind. "Not that I have to remind you. Imagine a ball of super-heated metal placed upon dry ice, with your body being the ice and a kakuhou as a ball. Yeah, it's pretty gruesome, though that doesn't keep some people from trying it anyway."

All of this information was enough to make Shinji's head spin. "So then, what, you just planted a kakuhou into me, did you?" _Just like that?_ Suddenly, the image of a steel ball rapidly melting to the bottom of a block of ice sounded a lot more terrifying.

"N- well, actually, yeah," Ritsuko admitted this with a shrug of her shoulders. "At a basic level, that's exactly what I did. Though I didn't expect for it to work." When the newly discovered half-ghoul gave her a worrying look, she further iterated. "You have to understand, what I did isn't exactly unheard of. Governments have been trying to create artificial ghouls for years now. They brought you to me, both feet in the grave, and told me to bring you back. I didn't have a lot of choices at the time, and quite frankly I thought you wouldn't mind, you know, being alive . So I took a chance." The blonde scientist gave him a once-over. "It seems to have payed off, thankfully. Your organs regrew in a week, and almost all of the damage done to you in the accident was reversed."

Slowly, pieces of the puzzle came together before it suddenly all clicked. Shinji looked up at Ritsuko. "Then, you did it to save my life?"

Akagi smiled, a sight that Shinji thought suited her more than what seemed her usual perpetual frown. "You're welcome."

_Well, that answers a bunch of questions_, he thought. "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but wasn't there any other way? And why would an organ belonging to a ghoul rebuild the flesh of a human?"

"As an answer to your first question, no, there wasn't another option. Not a legal one, anyway," she added under her breath. "The operation itself wouldn't have worked if you were a normal human. The chances of successfully turning a human into a ghoul are close to zero." Just as he was about to ask another question, Akagi held up a hand to quiet him. "And I answer your second question with a question of my own: Should a human have an abundant amount of RC Cells to compensate for the difference in biology, what do you think would happen if a kakuhou, which secretes RC Cells, were to find itself inside this aforementioned human?"

It took a moment before Shinji caught on to what she was trying to tell him, but when he did the realization hit him like a freight train. "My Langely's Disease?" _It can't be._ There was just no way. "_That's_ why I survived a kakuhou implant?" He had always thought that his condition was detrimental to his very life, what with the whole social stigma and occasional epileptic seizures. To think that the medical curse was also somehow a blessing was mind boggling.

Ritsuko was quick to wipe away his skepticism. "You would have died, otherwise." She checked the clock hanging off of on of the walls, and it was only then that Shinji noticed her foot had been slowly tapping the ground the entire time. "Is there anything else you want to know? I don't mean to be rude, but I have other duties that need attending."

Shinji chose his next words carefully, a hint of trepidation in his voice. "... is there any way to turn me back into a human?"

"Without potentially killing you?" the scientist sarcastically asked. "Not that I know of."

Kaji pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against. "We'll take it from here, doc."

The doctor gave Shinji a look that was probably meant to be reassuring, before turning and walking towards the door. With that, Ritsuko Akagi left, an apologetic Misato following closely behind her. The automatic door slid closed just as the two began to talk about something, and silence once again reigned in the room.

Once again the handler was left alone with his charge. Although his questions had been answered, Shinji didn't feel the satisfaction he'd thought he would feel. Instead, there was just this hollow emptiness inside him, like he'd lost an integral piece of himself. It might have to do the with the fact he'd never be human again. As normal and sometimes irritating as his life as a human had been, at least he didn't have to hurt anybody. He'd been... well, maybe not happy, but at the very least he had been content.

And now he was a ghoul. The _enemy_ of humanity. The one species that _preyed_ against humanity.

Which was just great. No, really. Not.

Shinji felt an arm rest on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Kaji giving him a sympathetic look, and for a moment he couldn't help but be a little grateful towards the man - all things considered, the man had broken this a lot more gently than he could have. "You gonna be alright, kid?"

The human-turned-ghoul felt his stomach turn. "I get that you guys were just trying to save my life, and I'm thankful for that. It's just..." he tried to find a way to make it seem like he wasn't ungrateful. Eventually he gave up. "Well, it's just that the alternative doesn't seem much better."

His handler gave a faint shrug of the shoulders. "Fate has her favorites. The rest of us are left to rot. It's just bad luck, kid."

Indeed. Shinji's life had been pretty normal up util now. Maybe Fate had seen that and decided that wasn't gonna fly. He scratched the back of his head, his next words a bit groggy on account of his suddenly dry throat. "What happens to me now?" It was the big question, one that Shinji hoped his handler had the answers to.

"Nothing." Kaji scoffed at the incredulous look Shinji gave him, opting instead to pull yet another smoke from his pocket and light it. _How many of those things does he go through in a day?_ "You continue on with your life as if nothing happened."

"I don't understand."

Kaji sighed. "Kid, your mother is the Commander of a PMC with access to the most advanced medical science on the planet." And if their medical prowess was any indication, Kaji appeared to be downplaying even that. "Even if Nerv isn't as influential as we used to be, it won't be very hard to sweep your condition under the rug. And besides, I'm your handler." At this, he flashed Shinji a warm smile, a genuine expression that told Shinji he could trust the man. "It's my job to make sure your life is as normal as possible."

He considered the man's words. "... thanks, Kaji-san."

His handler chuckled good-naturedly, as if to say_ think nothing of it_. He offered his arm to Shinji, pulling him off the floor and onto his feet. "Come on. We've gotta dig that bullet out of your shoulder. After that, I'll take you to your apartment."

"... oh, that's right. I got shot, didn't I?"

* * *

**S-MT:** _We can't have a repeat of Germany, Ikari. Too much time and effort has gone into this plan. We can't afford for the CCG to connect us to the Angels._

**S-JS:** _Indeed. Your recklessness could spell the end for all of us._

**S-YI:** _The situation has been contained. The CCG will dance to whatever tune I play. Your worries are unfounded, gentlemen._

**S-BN:**_ And the Third Child? What is the situation there? Has he been made malleable yet?_

**S-YI:** _In such a short time? Patience, Nesthollt. I've only had him for a two weeks, and if you'll recall, he just woke from his coma. Even I can't work miracles. I'll have him ready by the time the Fourth Child arrives._

**S-KL:** _While far from acceptable, it will have to do. This meeting is adjourned. We'll expect your next report in a week_.

**[s-kl_logOff]**

**[s-mt_logOff]**

**[s-js_logOff]**

**S-BN:**_ And how goes the search for Ramses?_

**S-YI:** _The man can be quite elusive when he wants to be._

**S-BN:**_ Then the resources I provided? Were they of any use?_

**S-YI:**_ We didn't manage to find him, if that's what you're asking._

**S-BN:**_ And the Eyepatch?_

**S-YI:**_ On his way. Or at least, he will be soon._

**S-BN:**_ Good._

* * *

"You feelin' okay?"

Shinji would later look back on this moment and realize that Kaji had had nothing but good intentions when he asked that question. But presently, he just sent a heated glare at the older man, pointedly rubbing his shoulder where not too long ago one of the doctor's in the medical wing had been digging out a bullet (which, to be honest, he had completely forgotten about). The hole they made in order to dig out the piece of metal had already healed courtesy of his ghoul-given nature, but the soreness was something he'd still have to deal with.

"... sorry, stupid question," Kaji apologized, having realized what he'd said as soon as he said it. "Do you still have the key the Commander gave you?"

Shinji idly patted his left pocket. "Yeah."

The Nerv handler nodded. "Good."

After leaving the the medical wing (in which the staff were treated to a surprising amount of swearing _a la_ pain-wracked Rokubungi Shinji with a large pair of tweezers digging their way through a newly-opened shoulder wound), Kaji had taken him a further towards the shallow layers of the base, the levels where Nerv staff stayed.

According to the handler, Shinji had been allocated his own level, a reminder that his mother(?) was looking out for him. He felt like he was moving a bit too fast - like a movie set at 1.5 speed. To suddenly have a huge aspect of his life suddenly changed, and without any sort of warning, it was a bit disorientating. Still, he supposed he should be thankful. While it wasn't every day that you got turned into a carnivorous monster via organ transplant, he supposed it could have gone a lot worse without the help he got from Nerv. And it was just like Kaji had said: being the son of the commander definitely had it's perks.

The elevator came to a stop, and the metallic doors swished open and gave way to a hallway painted a soothing beige. It reminded Shinji of a hotel to be honest, if that hotel were in an underground PMC base. "This is your apartment, 902. If you need anything, I'll be right here in 901."

_Just across the hall, huh?_ He wasn't sure how to feel about that. The fact that Nerv was having his handler live just across from him was just another reminder that his life was no longer considered normal. "Is my stuff in there?"

"And food too." Perhaps in response to the horrified expression on Shinji's face, the elder continued to elaborate. "Don't worry, it's not... _that_. I had them fill the fridge with substitutes. They just arrived today." A thoughtful look crossed Kaji's visage. "It's a kind of paste. Akagi chemically synthesized it to you personally." He gave Shinji a look that practically screamed _whatever that means_. "It won't fill you up like regular food used to, but it'll keep you from going berserk."

_That's something, I guess._ He'd trade paste for people any day. "So I can't eat regular food?"

"You can try, though I'd imagine your stomach wouldn't like that too much."

There was a long pause, where they both tried thinking up something else to say. Surprisingly, it was Shinji that spoke next. "Well then... thanks, I guess."

Kaji cleared his throat. "Right. You've had a long day, kid. Rest up." And with that, Kaji turned around and pulled out a key from one of his pockets, before opening the door to apartment 901 and closing it behind him. A moment passed, and Shinji was just about to open the door to his own apartment when Kaji suddenly burst into the hallway, a small bundle of cloth held in his hands. "Oh, here. Before I forget." He offered the bundle to Shinji, who gingerly held it in is hands before he opened it to see-

"My S-DAT?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice. The outdated music player, the only relic he had left of his father, innocently sat in his hands.

"The one you had on you when you had that accident? It was crushed," Kaji bluntly stated. It was hard to believe, but when Shinji took a closer look, he saw that the S-DAT itself was missing some of the scratches it had accumulated over the years, and it was a shade lighter grey than it was in his memory. "Almost beyond repair, but luckily, I happen to now a guy who loves refurbishing old tech. He gave it a new casing and messed with the insides, so it's almost like new." His handler's smile suddenly gave way to an apologetic look. "I couldn't save the cassette inside, though. Sorry 'bout that."

"No, no, that's alright," Shinji idly stated. "I'm just thankful somebody bothered to grab this old thing. I really appreciate it."

Kaji waved off his thanks. "Don't mention it. I figured it held some significance to you. Still, I'd recommend you buy an Mp3. They last longer, you know.

A small smile came unbidden to the younger man. "I know. But I sort of like collecting old stuff from before Second Impact." It was less of a hobby and more of a nagging in the back of his mind, one he would have to satisfy every time he came across a relic from the past. He couldn't count the number of times he had brought home something and his teacher complained that he was gathering junk in the house. "Plus, I can't really help but use this. It was my dad's."

"Is that right?" Kaji asked, a look of contemplation about him. "Well then, be careful with it. The parts for that thing are expensive."

"You don't have to tell me twice," the half-ghoul chuckled. Memories of spending hours in his village's only electronic shop haggling for prices came to Shinji. Before Kaji could retreat back into his home, Shinji gave the man a formal bow. "Thank you for all you've done, Kaji-san. It..." he struggled to spit out the words, never before having to have been so sincere to anyone else, "... it really means a lot to me."

The look on Kaji's face was a mixture between surprise and disbelief, before fading into a knowing grin. "Don't mention it. See ya in a bit, kid." The Nerv agent made to close the door, but poked his head out one last time. "Oh, and try not to make too much noise with your roomie." With that, Kaji shut the door, leaving Shinji alone in the hall.

"... my roomie?"

* * *

_"So how did it go?"_

Kaji idly stirred his cup of coffee with one hand, his other holding up his cell phone to his ear. "He's still a bit shaken up, but that was to be expected," he drawled out. He carefully placed two sugar cubes from one of his glass containers into his cup, resisting the urge to lick his fingers after the fact. "Rei and him ought to be talking by now."

_"... what does he know?"_

"He thinks we turned him so that we could save his life," Kaji said, a gruffness to his voice that surprised even him. Though, it was to be expected - Kaji had always been known to sympathize with others, assets and targets alike. And the Rokubungi kid's situation, while not something he could _understand_, was definitely something he could get _pissed_ about. Empathy, and all that. "Circumstantial. Akagi put it in a very roundabout way." Yet another lie that was necessary.

_"We'll review the conversation, and adjust the scenario to coincide with that story."_ There was a lull in the conversation, and the sound of something scratching against paper could be heard on the other end of the line. _"If the subject starts thinking otherwise, steer him around."_

_'Cause god knows what the kid would do if he knew the truth._ He nodded his head, knowing full well the other person had no way of telling. "Understood." With that Introduction part of Ikari's brilliant plan over with, he could now focus on the logistical side of things. Numbers were never as complicated as people, after all. "How did the clean-up operation go? Was Sachiel's kagune in usable condition?" While the ghoul in question was on top of Nerv's shit list, it never hurt to have an extra quinque around, though Kaji hoped Misato never got her hands on it. If it wasn't in a salvageable state-

It then occurred to Kaji that the person was taking a while to answer. "Maya. Sachiel's body? How did it go?"

_"About that."_ Those two words were enough for him to know he wasn't going to get any sleep that night. _"There were some complications."_

* * *

Saitou Takeshi considered himself a normal person. Well, normal in a subjective sense. His hobbies consisted of collecting trading cards, playing video games, and messing with his sister Yumi. Occasionally his job interfered with those hobbies, a fact he was none too pleased about. Still, a job was a job, and it just so happened that his job involved most of his family. Luckily, he didn't run into his other relatives during his work hours, with the exception of his sister. And sometimes, he found his job quite enjoyable. It was actually quite simple - pick up the package, read the packages instructions, act out said instructions, dispose of package, clock out.

However, today was different. One of his relatives, the bastard, had practically ordered him to take this job. Now, Takeshi would gladly take on any job, if asked nicely, but the way his 'big brother' commanded him to jump left a bad taste in his mouth.

Or maybe it was just the human flesh he was grinding between his teeth. _Note to self,_ he thought, _old ladies taste like shit-flavored shit. Old hags don't age so well. And their blood is super salty. Augh_.

They were in a warehouse, specifically used for holding any spare food that they happened to find. Zeruel, bless the brutal psychopath's heart, hadn't been too forthcoming with just exactly why the CCG and Nerv stayed clear of this particular warehouse, but Takeshi really didn't care as long as it stayed that way. His primary concern was making sure the food he had dumped here didn't get any funny ideas and try to make a break for it. Thankfully this was easily done, as the food were painfully slow on their feet, and just killing one of them for the sheer hell of it seemed to scare them into submission. _But next time, I'm choosing a teenager. Yumi was right. They're just tender enough that they're not chewy, and if you're lucky they still have some leftover baby fat_.

He watched with abject boredom as one of the pieces of food, a middle-aged man in a grey business suit, made a sudden dash towards the open warehouse doors. And it was with that same lethargy that Takeshi whipped his bikaku tentacle and tripped the food off it's feet, before using the liquid muscle to lift it in the air, where the future meal hung upside down.

The food was waving it's arms around, and his left leg was struggling against the fleshy exterior of Takeshi's bikaku. It was screaming it's head off, an act that made the ghoul rub his temples in an effort to soothe his irritation.

"P-put me down, you monster!"

And now the meatsack was forming articulate words. And insulting ones at that. Didn't they know that calling ghouls a 'monster' was considered a big no-no? Especially when you're being dangled upside-down by one? For the supposed dominant species on the planet, humans could be very stupid at times. "You know," Takeshi said, "this whole 'cowering in terror' thing is getting really old." He sighed when his words caused the food to struggle even more. "I mean, don't you humans have any other expressions?"

In the corner of the warehouse, the other seven humans were starting to let out frightened shrieks. Takeshi scowled when he saw that the food he had his kagune wrapped around was stirring up the others. Damn humans and their pack mentality. Still, it wasn't like he could kill the food. Tonight, they were to be used for something _special_. Sachiel hadn't given him the details outright, but from the look of things, it was going to be significantly more enjoyable for one party than the other.

In the end, he decided to just let the meal's blood collect to the top of his head. That'd knock him out, right?

In less than eight minutes, the human was struggling to stay conscious. The sack of meat would let out small giggles every now and then, much to Takeshi's amusement. Suddenly, the human burst out into raucous laughter, insanity apparent in his grating voice.

"Better, but still not original." Takeshi said. He decided to just let the poor bastard down, and as the food flopped to the ground, he continued speaking. "I mean, sometimes you'll start laughing, but that's more of a _'mind broken so badly I've gone insane'_ kind of laugh, and those are just creepy, not to mention a bit cliche." He stared pointedly at the man, who was still laughing just as fervently as before, harder, if that was even possible. "I mean, sure, I kill and eat you humans," Takeshi pointed out, "so I can't really ask requests of you guys, but-"

Then the meatsack stopped with his laughter, and began to loudly sob.

Takeshi felt whatever amusement he held inside him shrivel up and die. "Okay, now you're crying. Augh."

The food was curled up in the fetal position, sobbing it's heart out. "Please don't kill me..." it managed to get out between cries.

Maybe it was because he'd been stuck watching the food in a warehouse for seven hours. Or perhaps it was the fact that a grown man (status as fodder for his gullet notwithstanding) was bawling his eyes out. Either way, Takeshi found himself disgusted at the situation... and a bit uncomfortable. He was a laid back kind of guy. It helped with the stress of his job. So when Takeshi found himself in an uncomfortable situation...

He got mad.

"I mean _COME ON!_" he yelled in anger. Takeshi walked over and stood over the food, glaring in disbelief at the tears and snot running down the meat's face "You're a dude, for fucks' sake, stop _crying!_" the ghoul exclaimed. "It's gonna get awkward for everyone!" He started to lightly slap the human on it's face, only to sigh in exasperation when it started to bawl even harder.

"Onii-san. Stop playing."

Takeshi turned his head over to his sister where his sister Yumi sat on a crate, inspecting the underside of her nails. She wore a grey fur coat over a white frill dress, a pair of silver stilettos dangling from her feet. Her grey hair cascaded behind her back, a single braid tied at the side. Her face was a blank slate, like it always was. One would be hard pressed to tell the two were siblings. When people looked at Yumi, they immediately thought 'silver'. Compared to Takeshi's almost bronze hair and his tendency to wear clothes of orange colors, they were nothing alike. And that wasn't even getting into personality.

Takeshi unceremoniously lifted the sobbing sack of meat into a standing position."I'm not playing with him! I'm trying to get him to stop crying!" As if to accentuate his words, the human started moaning. He grabbed the human's head by it's hair, forcing the man to face his sister. "Hey, human! Tell my nee-chan that I'm just-"

In a flash, Yumi had pulled out her kagune and slashed the human across the throat. It's head was suddenly separated from his body, and there was a brief splash of blood from the neck stump. The body stumbled to it's knees, and fell to the ground, where blood continued to spew forth in a pool, while the body's fingers twitched erratically.

For a moment, the warehouse was so silent that a pin dropping would've been incredibly loud. Then the humans started screaming bloody murder.

Takeshi stared curiously at his sister, before turning to look at the head that was left in his hands. He took a moment to consider the still-wide eyes of the human, before tossing the food over his shoulder. "I mean, _I_ could have done that," he remarked.

Yumi paused in the examination of her fingernails to look up at him. "Clean it up," she said curtly. "Before the blood dries."

The older of the ghoul siblings eyed the rapidly growing pool of crimson liquid staining the floor before he let out a sigh. "I think it's a little too late to worry about that. I mean, you got the canvas wet, nee-chan." He pointed a finger accusingly at his sister, an expression of rage on his face. "And speaking of which, what the hell took ya so long?! I've been waiting here for _hours!_" Needless to say, Takeshi wasn't exactly a patient person. Less so when he'd limited himself to killing only one meal, despite it being a tasteless old lady.

"Sachiel needed me. Took care of it."

Unbidden, a growl escaped from the back of Takeshi's throat. "I really hate that guy. I mean, all of a sudden he thinks he can boss us around, just because Zeruel gave him the okay to expose his soul!" He looked encouragingly at his sister. "Right nee-chan?"

Yumi huffed at her brother's attitude. "Idiot."

"H-hey!" Takeshi placed his hand over his heart, a mock expression of despair on his face. "I mean, that was uncalled for!" It was small, and only lasted a second, but he spotted a barely distinguishable twitch of his sister's lips, at which he gave his own, markedly more noticeable smile. The moment lasted only a few seconds, after which Takeshi pointed a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing at the cowardly humans who looked equal parts confused and terrified by their casual exchange. "So, just what exactly are we gonna do with the rest of them?"

The female ghoul stood and walked over to her brother, pulling out a small sheet of paper and handing it to him. "Spare parts. Just in case."

Takeshi idly took the offered stationery, his eyes taking in the instructions with a certain gleam. Once he had finished, he let out a half-hearted chuckle before crumpling the paper and tossing it over his shoulder, where it coincidentally landed next to the discarded head from earlier. "I mean, that's pretty gruesome," he said in a tired voice, "even for for us." He glanced over at the food that were still huddled together in a far corner with a look akin to sympathy. However, it only lasted a moment before he shook his head, a manic smile in place.

In less than a heartbeat, Takeshi was in front of them, courtesy of his ghoul-given speed. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted between cupped hands, his loud voice startling the group. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Isra!" He smiled to himself at the sound of his title. It was much less boring than his actual name. "And over there," he waved enthusiastically towards his sibling, "is my precious nee-chan, Fel!"

Yumi glanced disinterestedly at the flock of humans, before nonchalantly throwing up a peace sign. "Yo."

Takeshi's smile grew to a disturbing size, before he addressed the humans in a menacing tone of voice. "Tell me, what do you know of angels?" Any foreboding the statement may have held instantly dissipated when the ghoul cupped his chin and stared at them expectedly. "Because, I mean, obvious Biblical Reference Alert right there..."

One of the humans, an older gentleman wearing a wool sweater, was brave enough to ask the questions on all of the human's minds. "What do you what from us?!"

The Cheshire grin came back, and Takeshi calmly placed his hand on top of the old man's head. "I mean, isn't it obvious?"

There was a _ripp_ing sound, and throughout the warehouse the sound of screaming continued.

"We gathered you guys up as material. I mean, you can't send a message without ink, right?"

"You could send a text."

"Yumi, I'm trying to be menacing here."

"No trouble with that."

A pause. "No, I guess not."

* * *

**To be continued...**

* * *

_**AN:** Eight months. So... yeah, I have no excuse for the lateness of this chapter. I procrastinated, did a marathon of FLCL, raged at the end of Aldnoah Zero, got WAY too into the Witcher 3, got a new job, and made the huge mistake of googling "Beast's Lair." Then MGSV came out, and the dubs for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and season 1 of Tokyo Ghoul were released (whoever cast Christopher R. Sabat as Yamori was a frickin' genius) and then I thought to myself 'You know what would be a good idea? Marathoning the entire Monogatari series in one sitting. And keeping myself from reading Kizumonogatari since it's apparently no longer the Half-Life 3 of anime.' This was of course followed by scouring the internet, looking for a single scrap of info on the Heaven's Feel movie, other than the fact that it's evidently a thing that will happen eventually. Then I started browsing my favorite stories list and rereading them all and then there was the whole World Waifu War III and I started using Aseprite and Blender again-_

_Basically, the lateness of this chapter was due to a spontaneous burst of creative energy (which ironically had nothing to do with writing, strangely enough) whilst holding a day job. Because that situation is so ideal._

_Shameless plug time! If you're a Fate/stay Night fan, or a fan of... well, obscure anime, then you should go check out my other fic, You Have Control (chapter four of which should have been posted two months ago, but I'm no good at self-assigned deadlines). It's not as dark as this story (will eventually be), and the chapters are a bit shorter compared to the ones in this fic, but people seem to like it so far._

_Also... I want the time I wasted watching Root A back. Honestly, all of those changes only to end up where the manga was... **** is NOT ****, damn it!_


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